Sports Medicine / Obstructed Airways

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

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Jeremy Medina

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

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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

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During the practice the following things happened:

-There were no adults present

- There were no first aid equipment present

- There were no coaches present.

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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

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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)

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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.

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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.

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​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

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.