The Sideline Doc’s Fear

I am late to the blogosphere for what occurred on national television between Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals. At this point people that have been following the story know that the player had a cardiac arrest and was given CPR on the field. Watching the replay, what I assume to have happened - and what several other providers on social medial feel happened - was something called ‘Commotio Cordis’. That is where some sort of blunt force impact hits the chest at just the right time during the heart rhythm to disrupt the electrical current and cause the heart to go into fibrillation, typically ventricular fibrillation. During ventricular fibrillation, the bottom two chambers of the heart start to quiver instead of providing a strong beat. Keep in mind this is just speculation about what happened, but it is a well-known and dreaded condition among sports physicians..

Being on sideline offers a great view but can be nerve racking.

For medical providers covering the sideline, Commotio Cordis is something that we always have to be aware of. Generally we think of it happening in sports where players can get hit in the chest, like fighting sports and - the most common test question for our board exam- baseball. The comeback hit to the pitcher is the most common vignette we get regarding this. As is well documented on the media, the athletic trainers and doctors on the sideline of the Bills game did an amazing job of acting quickly and appropriately to save that player’s life. I read that he was just released from the hospital and seemed on his way to a good recovery, though it is yet to be seen if he gets back to the field.

The quick action of the athetlic trainers and doctors on the sideline were key. Providing compression via CPR keeps blood circulating and helps it get to the brain. Shocking with an AED (defibrillator), which almost all athletic trainers have on sideline, is imperative and needs to occur ASAP when something like this happens. Stuff like this is why it is important for some sort of medical provider to be available on the sidelines.

I love it when NO injuries happen and it is just all left out on the field.

From personal experience, I will sit there and dread something like this or a severe neck injury happening. While fans are enjoying the game, that is always on the back of my mind when I am working a game. I just want to give a shoutout to the ATCs, PTs and fellow sports docs that do sideline work!