NHL postpones game between Stars and Blue Jackets after F Rich Peverley collapses on bench
The NHL postponed Monday night's game between the Blue Jackets and the Dallas Stars after Stars forward Rich Peverley had a cardiac event, lost consciousness and had to be revived by medical staff. Peverley was ultimately taken to hospital where he's reportedly in stable condition.
Dr. Gil Salazar treated Peverley on the scene, and described what occurred to Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News. "He was brought back to the hallway for treatment, where we treated him for a cardiac event, successfully treated with standard therapy," Dr. Salazar said.
Salazar detailed the specific treatment Peverley received: "We provided oxygen for him. We started an IV. We did chest compressions on him and defibrillated him, provided some electricity to bring a rhythm back to his heart, and that was successful with one attempt, which is very reassuring."
Dr. William Robertson - who is the chief of sports medicine at UT Southwestern (the hospital Peverley was taken to) - credited the crew on hand for their quick response to the medical emergency:
We have a specialized team that’s implemented that trains pre-season with the training staff who did a fantastic job today, and that team is made up of internal medicine doctors, orthopedic surgeons, trauma surgeons, trauma doctors, airway specialists, they’re all here to respond to incidents like this along with the Dallas Fire and Rescue paramedic staff.
We train for episodes like this with the hopes that they never arise, but our ability to act today quickly for Rich is a testament to the training staff and the team approach to how we prepare for these events.
Stars coach Lindy Ruff echoed Robertson's praise for the medical staff on the scene. "As soon as [Peverley] came off the ice, he collapsed," Ruff said. "I instantly stood on the bench and started screaming up in the crowd for a doctor... I was just screaming to let the doctors know we needed somebody ASAP and they were there ASAP."
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