Las Vegas shooting victim Cesar Ranuschio, owner of BodyShop661 in Santa Clarita, endured a “rough night” after his gunshot wound to the chest turned out to be more complicated than doctors initially thought, but is expected to make a full recovery, family members said.

Ranuschio was shot Sunday while attending the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival on the Las Vegas strip, and doctors discovered during surgery that fragments of shrapnel had gone into his heart muscle tissue, while the bullet lodged itself in his liver.

Doctors were forced to crack open Ranuschio’s chest — much like open-heart surgery — and successfully removed as much shrapnel as they could, which was the biggest concern at the time, said David Lyznick, Ranuschio’s fiance’s father.

Related: Las Vegas Shooting Investigation Continues, One Santa Clarita Resident Killed, At Least 9 Wounded

The decision was made to leave the bullet in Ranuschio’s liver, as it is not creating any imminent danger to his health at this time, and may remain there indefinitely.

Ranuschio was still in extreme pain Tuesday morning, but is expected to make a full recovery and return back to Santa Clarita next week, Lyznick said.

A GoFundMe page has been launched to help the family pay for medical bills, and had raised over $2,600 of its $50,000 goal Tuesday afternoon.

Lyznick described the scene at the Las Vegas hospital where Ranuschio is being treated as “like a war zone,” adding that his daughter’s fiance is “one of the lucky ones” as he’s watched other Las Vegas shooting victims endure three, four and five surgeries without success.

“There’s lots of tears and lots of fear,” he said.

To donate to Ranuschio’s GoFundMe page, click here. 

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