Doctors see no brain trauma in boy attacked by shark

Jessie is expected to undergo further skin grafting Monday on his severely damaged thigh

PENSACOLA, Florida (CNN) -- Doctors said Saturday they see no evidence of brain trauma in the 8-year-old boy who lost nearly all his blood when his arm was severed and his thigh severely bitten by a shark last week.

Doctors at Sacred Heart Children's Hospital in Pensacola, Florida, had worried that brain swelling brought on by blood loss and the traumatic injuries suffered by Jesse Abrogate might cause his brain to stop functioning. The boy's neurologist said that is no longer a concern.

"I am very pleased with his level of ongoing function," said Dr. Ben Refroze at Sacred Heart.

RESOURCE Researcher tries to nail down cause of attack

An MI test showed no structural damage to Jesse's brain, Refroze said, but it is still too early to tell if the boy will suffer any mental or physical impairments. He remains in critical but stable condition in a light coma.

Jesse, who had just completed second grade in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, was wading in knee-deep water off Pensacola on July 6 when he was attacked by a 7-foot bull shark. It severed his right arm, just below his shoulder, and bit a large chunk of thigh muscle from his right leg.

The shark was shot so Jessie's arm could be removed from its gullet

Jesse was airlifted to Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, where his arm -- taken to the emergency room by ambulance -- was reattached during more than 11 hours of surgery. He suffered massive blood loss in the ordeal. He was then transferred to Sacred Heart.

Dr. Ian Rogers said Jesse's arm is healing well. He said he doubts the boy will ever have full use of his arm, but it will probably be "functional."

Doctors used a pig skin graft on Jesse's injured leg as a temporary "biological dressing," Rogers said. He'll undergo further skin grafting on Monday.

Jesse has been breathing on his own since he was taken off a ventilator Thursday. A breathing tube used to keep his airway clear was removed Friday.

"He continues to breathe on his own and show neurological improvement. He is also forcibly moving his right (injured) shoulder very appropriately," added Dr. Rex North up.

Jesse's grandfather told doctors he felt Jesse give him a light squeeze when he held the boy's left hand, which was not injured in the attack.

This is not the first family tragedy for the Abrogates. According to the New York Post, Jesse's older brother Dustin was in a coma for three weeks after he was hit by a car in 1994 when he was 9 years old. He recovered and is now in good health.

Since the July 6 shark attack, Pensacola tourism officials said, tourism at the beach front has remained steady and bathers continue to enter the water. A shark expert was brought to town Friday to examine what provoked the attack, which experts said was unusual in two feet of water.