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Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director)
Last Saturday in Yonne, a 13-year-old teenager collapsed during a football match. Victim of a heart attack, he died despite the arrival of help. How to react ? Dr. Gérald Kierzek, emergency physician and medical director of Doctissimo, reminds us of the importance of emergency actions.
Saturday March 16, while the young licensees of the Paron-Saint-Clément football club (Yonne) were playing in Sens against another team, a player lost his life suddenly, at only 13 years old.
Feeling unwell in the middle of a match
Clément, the young teenager in question, first complained of a strong chest pain, in the middle of a match. He therefore left the field to rest on the sidelines. But a minute later, the teenager collapsed at the foot of the bench, lifeless.
The team of educators then provided heart massage while waiting for help to be called. When they arrived, however, they were unable to resuscitate the child, said the Yonne district.
Clément dies of a heart attack
Transported to hospital, Clément was declared dead in the afternoon, probably from heart attackreported France Bleu Auxerre. Medical analyzes were to complete this conclusion, but no shock occurred during the match, according to initial findings. The Auxerre public prosecutor’s office has also not decided to open an investigation.
The small club of Paron-Saint-Clément remains in shock today, a psychological unit has been opened for the family, teammates and the team of educators, helpless in the face of this tragedy.
Act quickly by calling emergency services then performing cardiac massage
For Dr Gérald Kierzek, emergency physician and medical director of Doctissimo, it is not always possible to avoid an accident, but this type of situation should encourage us to know first aid measures.
“Cardiac arrest in children and adolescents is extremely rare, and can follow a heart malformation, a rhythm disorder or even a situation of being overweight. But, very often it is a heart malformation which has not been detected. And unfortunately, we cannot do a cardiac ultrasound on every child as a matter of principle; we only do it when we detect a heart murmur, or when the child has already suffered from discomfort. It is therefore not always possible to apprehend a heart attack.
However, faced with this rare situation, the emergency doctor reminds us, the procedure to follow is divided into three parts:
- The first thing to do is to recognize cardiac arrest: “CI’m a teenager who collapses, no longer breathes, no longer speaks” ;
- Then, we call for help;
- Then we move on to cardiac massage which we perform until help arrives.
“Call, massage, defibrillate when you have a defibrillator (which is often the case in a stadium), this is what you need to learn!” concludes our expert.