April 19th
Lindros begins conditioning, postseason return unlikely

 (AP) - Eric Lindros rejoined his teammates Sunday for the first time since a collapsed lung put him in the hospital more than two weeks ago. Lindros, dressed in a dark blue suit, was still uncertain about whether he'll return to the Flyers for the playoffs. "I'm feeling better every day, I'm getting stronger," Lindros told reporters during the first intermission of Philadelphia's regular-season finale Sunday against Boston. "But it all depends on how far we go (in the postseason). I'm not going to pinpoint a time to return. I'm just going to go day-by-day." Lindros looked pale and gaunt but spoke in his normal low tone of voice. He has been sidelined since the team's April 1 game against Nashville after suffering a collapsed right lung. Doctors are still unsure what caused it to collapse, allowing about six pints of blood to seep into his chest cavity.
    The Flyers captain returned to Philadelphia on April 8, but was back in the hospital the next day and had surgery after doctors discovered more fluid in his chest cavity. Since being released from the hospital last Tuesday, Lindros said his recovery has been slow but steady. Doctors have him on a high protein diet and Lindros has lost 12 pounds since the beginning of the month.  Lindros did skate for about 20 minutes Saturday at the team's practice facility as doctors monitored his heart rate, and he has begun riding an exercise bike. He was on the ice before Sunday's game to receive the team's most valuable player award. He has 40 goals and a team-leading 93 points over 71 games this season.  Lindros got an ovation from the crowd after coming out, and he smiled and briefly waved back to the fans before returning to the locker room.

April 13th
Lindros released from hospital

(AP) - Philadelphia Flyers center Eric Lindros was released from the hospital Monday, four days after undergoing surgery to remove a blood clot from his chest cavity. Lindros left the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania around 10 a.m. ET Monday, said Dr. Larry Kaiser, who performed the operation Friday. "I think he looks great; he's certainly feeling 100 percent better than he felt the other day," Kaiser said. "From the chest surgery standpoint, he's breathing well, feels well, (is) moving around, not really having much pain." Kaiser removed a blood clot that was pressing against Lindros' right lung, keeping it from fully expanding. Lindros, 26, underwent the surgery after suffering a setback in his recovery from a collapsed lung. In the 90-minute procedure, a tube and a microscopic camera were inserted through two small incisions in Lindros' chest.
  The fluid and clotted blood was in the area between the lung and the diaphragm. Lindros currently is on medication to regenerate the blood he lost, Kaiser said. "We're still dealing with the situation with his blood counts, and that's going to take a while until they begin to come up," Kaiser said. "Hopefully over the next couple weeks, those counts will come up significantly."  Doctors don't know for sure what caused about six pints of blood to seep into Lindros' chest after a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators on April 1. Kaiser said the blood likely seeped from his lung, adding that he found no evidence that a blood vessel had ruptured. The Flyers' prolific scorer and team captain flew to Philadelphia after being released from a hospital in Nashville, Tenn., on April 8. He ran a fever in excess of 102 degrees and doctors discovered the fluid buildup in his chest cavity.

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April 9th
Lindros must return to hospital for surgery

(AP) - Eric Lindros suffered a setback in his recovery from a collapsed lung Thursday, returning to Philadelphia only to learn
  he must go back to the hospital for surgery. A whirlwind day that began with Lindros being released from a hospital in Nashville, Tenn., turned somber when his doctor announced that the prolific scorer and team captain will have surgery Friday to drain fluid that has accumulated in his chest cavity. Dr. Larry Kaiser, a chest surgeon who is taking over Lindros' care, said during a news conference next to the Flyers' locker room that Lindros ran a fever in excess of 102 degrees Wednesday night and the fluid in his chest -- partly comprised of clotted blood -- may be infected. The procedure, known as video thoroscopy, is minor, and Lindros is expected to be hospitalized 4-to-5 days at the University of Pennsylvania.
But the news reinforced Flyers plans to proceed into the playoffs as if Lindros will not be joining them. "It looked like things were going to come along quite nicely on their own," Kaiser said.  "But the film from this morning showed what appeared to be an increase in collection of fluid in that right chest. The fact that he had a fairly high fever last night -- well above 102, in fact -- indicated there might be something else going on."  Lindros, who was resting at home, shows no signs of additional bleeding, Kaiser said. Kaiser, who will perform the operation, said it involves inserting a tube and a microscopic camera through small incisions in his chest. The material and clotted blood is not the lung, but in the area between the lung and the diaphragm, Kaiser said. It is keeping the lung from expanding properly.

April 7th
Doctors remove chest tube, Lindros up and walking
(AP) - Doctors removed a tube from Eric Lindros' chest Tuesday, but when the Philadelphia Flyers captain can return home remains a day-to-day issue. "We want to see how everything goes now with the tube out, make sure that he's comfortable and make sure that things remain stable," team physician Dr. Gary Dorshimer said after speaking with doctors at Baptist Hospital. The team had been hoping to bring Lindros, the Flyers' star center and one of the top scorers in the NHL, home Tuesday night or Wednesday. But Dorshimer said traveling depends on how Lindros heals over the next day or so. "He obviously has some relief of his pain with that tube being out," Dorshimer said. "He had a decent night's sleep, and he's planning to do a little more walking around."
Doctors were worried that Lindros' right lung might collapse again when the tube keeping it inflated was removed. But Dorshimer said the X-rays look good. Lindros woke up in pain Friday morning after a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators Thursday night. At least three pints of blood had seeped into his chest cavity, apparently causing his right lung to collapse. How Lindros feels over the next day or two will determine how quickly he can return to Philadelphia. Dorshimer said doctors will have to study his progress to determine any further treatment once he returns home.
 

April 4th
"Lindros recovering in Nashville hospital
(AP) - Eric Lindros's lung is expanding again and most of the fluid was drained from his chest cavity Saturday, one day after doctors began treating the Philadelphia Flyers star for a collapsed right lung. Lindros, 26, apparently suffered the injury after being cross-checked during the Flyers' 2-1 win at Nashville on Thursday. Television replays showed Lindros falling on his stick in the first period. Lindros spoke with reporters in the dressing room for several minutes following the victory and did not appear to be in pain. He awoke Friday morning with chest pain and went to the hospital. Nearly three quarts of bloody fluid filled into the space where the lung collapsed, and doctors at the hospital drained the fluid with a chest tube. Team physician Dr. Gary Dorshimer said doctors inserted a vacuum pump in the lung to help re-expand it.  "Eric is a big piece of this team. Somebody else has to pick it  up and step up," center Marc Bureau said after a 3-0 loss in  Boston on Saturday. Lindros, who is being treated by Predators  team physician Dr. Richard Garman, will stay in Baptist Hospital in Nashville at least until Tuesday to make sure the lung is working properly. He was expected to be moved from intensive care to a regular room on Sunday, Dorshimer said. Lindros was coming off a two-game suspension when the injury occurred. He will probably miss the rest of the regular season and his status for the playoffs remains unclear. The injury could not have come at a worse time for the injury-wracked Flyers, who have seen their chances of going deep in the playoffs diminished. "Put it this way: We have a lot bigger chance with him. We need him back," Flyers winger Mikael Renberg said."