Dallas Stars player collapses on bench; game to be rescheduled

Does Peverley have an internal defibrillator? High Point basketball player Allan Chaney had his career end in November because his internal defibrillator activated during a game. Too much to risk by trying to play again.

 

I had found an article a while back (maybe I can digit up again) in which the defibrillator wasn't used on Gathers on the court because he had a pulse at that time and CPR isn't used when a pulse is present. Once Gathers was taken from the court, he lost his pulse and then they used the defibrillator.

 

I'm not 100 percent certain, but I don't believe he has one.


BTW, if anyone hasn't seen the video, there are two clips on this link: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/rich-peverley-of-dallas-stars-collapses-on-bench-in-scary-scene-011548217.html

One thing that struck me from the PC last night was Ruff talking about the moment it happened, when began yelling for a doctor (you can clearly hear people calling for doctors and paramedics on the first video clip). He said a woman in the stands behind the bench -- "I think she was wearing a Stars jersey," Ruff said -- stood up and said she was a doctor. On both of those video clips you can see a woman in a Stars jersey coming out of the seats and racing back into the tunnel.

Here's Ruff's quote: “I instantly stood on the bench and started screaming up in the crowd for a doctor,” said coach Lindy Ruff. “And actually there was I think one lady put her hand up. I think she had a Stars jersey on, said she was a doctor. I was just screaming to let the doctors know we needed somebody ASAP and they were there ASAP.”

I'm just wondering who she was and if she was able to help. Pretty cool that she volunteered.

 

Atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response describes a situation where the top chambers of the heart (the atrium) havea chaotic electrical rhythm that does not allow a coordinate beat or squeeze. Instead of 60-80 regularly spaced electrical impulses being sent to the ventricle like in normal sinus rhythm, hundreds of irregular electrical signals are sent. The ventricle tries to respond to as many of the electrical impulses as it can and contracts irregularly and potentially very quickly, with heart rates between 120- 180 beats per minute.This can make the patient feel palpitations in their chest and feel faint, but usually, the patient remains conscious. If one were to place an AED on the chest a shock would not be advised.

In ventricular fibrillation, the chaotic electrical rhythm originates in the ventricle adn a coordinated beat does not occur; blood cannot then be pumped to the body and the patient becomes unresponsive. If an AED were placed, it would recognize this rhythm and recommend a shock.

In V fib, the patient is unconscious, is not breathing and has no pulse. CPR is a bridge (hands only CPR is recommended for lay people) until a defibrillator is available, since electrical shock is the only treatment that works to convert V Fib to a regular rhythm that can generate a heart beat. It's important to remember that the shocks don't always work.

In patients with a fib, electrical shock is occasionally used to restore a regular rhythm but it is usually a planned elective procedure called cardioversion and the way that electricity is sued is different than in defibrillation.

Internal defibrillators are used in patients who have survived sudden death due to V fib (or Ventricular tachycardia, a cousin). Except in unusual circumstances, implantable devices are not used for a fib.

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/palpitations/page2_em.htm#types_of_palpitations

 

I'm sure it is mainly context - but it was surprising that both teams decided to postpone the game. This is a sport where teams played on after players have been taken off in stretchers and in a few cases when someone almost bled to death on the ice after getting cut by a skate. Not knocking them, just surprised.

 

Actually, the league office made the call to postpone, not the teams.

 

It's also not the first time this has happened on the bench, so there was precedent to postpone.

 

The Stars were in no shape to play after this - heck, one of their rookies suffered a panic attack and had to be taken to the hospital himself in the aftermath of the event.

I think the context difference is the key - these guys know at the very back of their brains that a serious injury from the act of playing hockey - a skate cut, a broken neck, a bad concussion - is a risk every night. But a guy getting back to the bench and dropping from a heart condition is another level of traumatic.

 

There are guys in Columbus who played with Peverley - including Horton, who won a Cup with him - who wouldn't have been able to play either.

 

Peverley is going to have heart surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in Toronto that had already been planned for the off-season. They've said he won't return this year, but have not ruled it out in the future.