Creative ConceptsAttempts to prevent “tongue swallowing” may well be the main obstacle for successful bystander resuscitation of athletes with cardiac arrest
Section snippets
Methods
We searched the Internet for posted events of cardiac arrest (or events of transient LOC if the latter prompted any form of resuscitation) that were caught on video or were described in detail. Specifically, we searched Google, Google Images, Google Videos, and YouTube using the following keywords: collapse, athlete, sudden cardiac event, sudden cardiac death, sudden death, and “commotio cordis.” We repeated this search in each of the following languages: English, Spanish, French, Russian,
Results
We found 29 videos,2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 recorded in different countries between 1990 and 2017, showing athletes collapsing with cardiac arrest (n = 23) or LOC (n = 6). The LOC cases were included because they were long enough and dramatic enough to prompt resuscitation maneuvers, albeit without defibrillation. One video was excluded since the player received a shock from a previously implanted automatic
Discussion
The cardiac arrest events of athletes caught on video and available on the Internet portray a disturbing picture of fellow teammates responding to cardiac arrest incorrectly. Prevention and/or “relief” of “tongue swallowing” appears to take priority over chest compression in the majority of video-documented events.
Clearly, the events caught on video and posted on the Internet may not be representative of the quality of CPR provided to athletes all over the world. However, we have no reason to
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