Because the athlete’s heart suddenly stops, they will become unresponsive, with no normal breathing and no signs of circulation. “There sometimes might be initial signs like chest pain, shortness of breath or lightheadedness, but many times it happens with no warning. Alec DeCastroĪlec DeCastro, M.D., a sports and family medicine doctor at MUSC Health, described what can happen in sudden cardiac arrest. “It's probably one of the top causes of sudden death in athletes,” the athletic trainer said. That can make them stiff, reducing how much blood flows through.Ĭhrestman was familiar with the condition. The American Heart Association says it’s usually caused by abnormal genes that make the walls of the left ventricle too thick. Omar’s cardiac arrest was due to an underlying condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Like Omar, they had sports medicine specialists on hand who were able to take quick action. James passed out during practice and was diagnosed with a heart defect. Hamlin went down after being hit in the chest with a helmet. The dangerous condition has been in the news recently for causing both Buffalo Bills football player Damar Hamlin and University of Southern California basketball player Bronny James to collapse. About 90% of them die, according to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation. Sudden cardiac arrest strikes more than 356,000 Americans who weren’t previously in the hospital, every year. Thanks to the quick action of Chrestman and the Berkeley County EMTs, Omar survived. The health condition that caused Omar’s frightening episode is known as sudden cardiac arrest. Berkeley County emergency medical technicians arrived to take over caring for the young man Chrestman had helped stay alive long enough to get that aid. The athletic trainer was trained to diagnose and treat injuries and medical conditions, so she knew the automated external defibrillator could help Omar’s heart get back to a normal rhythm. So that's when I started CPR and took his shirt off to place the AED,” Chrestman said. “He did have a pulse when I first arrived, but he lost his pulse. “I was like, this is not an asthma attack. Photo providedīut Chrestman, who’s part of the MUSC Health Sports Medicine team and is based at Stratford, quickly determined it was something else. “He's known to have asthma, so everybody kind of thought that maybe he had an asthma attack and just kind of ran out of breath and passed out.” Omar Clunis, left, celebrates during a game. He was gasping for air and looked like he was having a seizure. She rushed over to find Omar Clunis lying on the ground. Please hurry.’ I've never heard that uneasiness in his voice before,” Chrestman said. “A soccer coach, he radios me over, and he's like, ‘This is an emergency, please hurry. Then she got a call on her two-way radio at Stratford High School. Athletic trainer Ashley Chrestman had just watched that game and moved on to monitor a baseball game on a nearby field. A teenage soccer player was celebrating, high-fiving his teammates and taking pictures after a game in Goose Creek, South Carolina.
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