Sports Medicine / Obstructed Airways

Sports Medicine in Real Life

What may happen if we fail to put the proper safety measures in place.

​

Jeremy Medina

Jeremy was a senior standout baseball player who was on his way to playing his senior year of baseball.

​

He was already committed to playing in college and was a pitcher and a catcher.

In November of 2023, his coach scheduled a mandatory batting practice despite it being the offseason

​

During the practice the following things happened:

-There were no adults present

- There were no first aid equipment present

- There were no coaches present.

​

The worst possible thing happened.
- Jeremy was hit in the head by a teammate
-The trauma to his head caused him to go unconscious
- Since he was unconscious he couldn't establish an airway

​

Jeremy would be in a coma for 3 weeks, eventually taken off life support and dying.

His family would file a lawsuit for the following reasons
-Negligence on the schools part
-Making an illegal sports practice mandatory
-Lack of medical attention (it took up to 7 minutes before Jeremy was looked after)

​

Multiple Choice

Who was the kid effected by this?

• The teacher
• The dog
• Jeremy Medina

• The principal

Multiple Choice

What was the first mistake the coaches made?

• Making an illegal practice mandatory and not attending.

• Focusing too much on individual player performance rather than team strategy
• Not providing enough water breaks during practice
• Assigning players to positions based on their height

How do we establish an airway?

- Head Tilt
- Chin Lift

​- Jaw Thrust (Only if the person has a spinal injury)

Establishing an airway will allow oxygen to flow to the brain even while unconscious.

​

Brain Death:
1 minute - brain cells begin dying.
3 minutes - lasting brain damage becomes more likely.
5 minutes - death becomes imminent.
10 minutes - a coma and lasting brain damage are almost inevitable.

​

Multiple Choice

How do you establish an airway

• Head Tilt

  Chin Lift

  Jaw Thrust

• Use a tourniquet around the neck
• Apply pressure to the abdomen
• Administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation

Multiple Choice

When do we use the jaw thrust method?

• When a person is suspected of having a spinal injury
• When a person is feeling dizzy
• When a person has a broken arm
• When a person has a headache

​CPR could also have been used to save Jeremy's life.

CPR stands for "cardiopulmonary resuscitation".

The continuous chest compressions during CPR bring the partial flow of oxygenated blood back to the heart and brain to prevent brain damage.

CPR

Final thoughts to remember!

Jeremy would have been alive today if his coaches followed all of the necessary steps.

Jeremy also would have been alive today if one of his teammates knew how to give CPR.

Multiple Choice

What does CPR stand for?

• Cardiac Pulmonary Recovery
• Centralized Patient Resuscitation
• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
• Circulatory Pump Restoration

Multiple Select

What is the purpose of CPR?

• To circulate oxygenated blood to the brain

• To bake a cake
• To prevent death.

• To prevent brain damage.

Multiple Choice

How long should you do CPR?

• Until emergency medical services arrive or the person shows signs of life.
• Only if the person is young
• For at least 5 minutes
• Until the person wakes up on their own

Multiple Choice

Where do I place my hands during CPR?

• Place your hands on the person's face
• Place your hands on the person's stomach
• Place your hands on the person's back
• Place your hands on the center of the person's chest

Multiple Choice

How deep should my compressions be?

• At least 3 inches deep for adults and children
• About 0.5 inches deep for infants
• As shallow as possible for adults and children
• At least 2 inches deep for adults and children