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Junior footy player collapses, game called off

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Steve Lillebuen

A junior footballer in Melbourne is recovering in hospital after he was hit in the face with the ball during a suburban game.

Pines Under 19s player Kadel Key collapsed and suffered breathing problems when he was hit during the game against Mt Eliza on Saturday morning.

A doctor performed CPR on the teenager before paramedics arrived and continued treatment at the Eric Bell Reserve in Frankston North, an Ambulance Victoria spokesman said.

He was taken by ambulance to The Alfred hospital in a serious condition, but his condition improved and he remained listed in a stable condition on Sunday evening.

The injury occurred when Key was hit in the face with the ball while trying to block a Mt Eliza player from kicking a goal, said Pines Club president Jeff Svigos.

“It was a freak accident,” he said.

“You see players get hit with the ball all the time, but when he didn’t get up this time it was a bit scary.”

The game was called off when the serious injury occurred near the start of the second quarter.

The club has been in touch with Key and his family.

Officials will talk about what happened with the rest of his team on Monday.

The Mt Eliza Football Club said it was thinking about the player and his family.

“Under 19s game called off just after 1/4 time after Pines player Kadel Key was seriously injured,” the club wrote on its Facebook page.

“Thoughts go out to him and his family!”

The story Junior footy player collapses, game called off first appeared on The Age.

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‘Hunger Games’ First Aid

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A 12-year-old girl remembered a technique she read about in one of The Hunger Games novels and used it to tie a tourniquet around a friend’s open leg wound.

Megan Gething and friend Mackenzie George were playing a marsh in Gloucester, Massachusetts when Mackenzie fell and cut her calf open on a steel pump.

Megan quickly used a pair of shorts to fashion a tourniquet on the wound and applied pressure to stem the bleeding.

“I knew it from a book I read,” she said of the young adult fiction trilogy written by Suzanne Collins. “I figured it was a well-known method of stopping bleeding,” Megan told The Gloucester Times.

The main character in the series, Katniss Everdeen, lives in a dystopian future and is often in nature hunting, fighting, and trying to survive a morbid game pitting young people against each other in life-threatening situations.

Mackenzie was taken to hospital and doctors said there was no muscle or nerve damage to her leg. Her parents are thankful for Megan’s quick thinking and help in what could have been a dire situation had she lost more blood.

She is expected to make a full recovery in the next month.

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Bluetooth-connected defibrillator

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BY NANCY SOKOLER STEINER | PUBLISHED JUN 8, 2017 | OUTSTANDING GRADS 2017

AGE: 18
HIGH SCHOOL: Milken Community Schools
GOING TO: USC

When Ashley Yeshoua selected a project to pursue for her Science Research class at Milken Community Schools, she chose an idea that was close to her heart.

She formulated a way to enhance defibrillators, devices implanted to deliver an electric current after detecting a life-threatening irregular heartbeat. Her innovation would warn patients through an app upon detecting an irregular heartbeat before an electrical shock returns the heartbeat to normal.

Yeshoua drew inspiration for her idea from her mother, who had gone into cardiac arrest at home seven years ago.

“Fortunately, we live a block from the fire department, so she was treated quickly,” Yeshoua said.

After that episode, Yeshoua’s mother had surgery to implant a defibrillator. The device served its purpose four years later, when she went into cardiac arrest while riding in an elevator. The defibrillator shocked her and restored her heartbeat. “The defibrillator saved her life,” Yeshoua said.

But the shock caused her mother to fall and hit her head against the elevator wall. She suffered short-term memory loss as a result.

Yeshoua’s proposal involves inserting a Bluetooth device inside the defibrillator that could wirelessly send an alert to an app or smart watch, triggering a warning sound.

“This way, the person could prepare by siting down, or by pulling over if they were driving,” she explained.

Yeshoua named the concept a “Defraprillator” as it allows the defibrillator to interact with an app that would provide alerts.

She also proposed creating a wirelessly rechargeable battery for defibrillators. Normally, batteries require changing every five to seven years. That subjects patients to the risks of surgery along with an expense of around $35,000.

“My mom was about 32 years old when she had her first cardiac arrest,” Yeshoua said. “That means during her lifetime, she could expect to have about eight surgeries to replace her defibrillator batteries.”

Instead, Yeshoua theorized, why not create an external charging unit that a patient could wear overnight to recharge the device wirelessly?

Yeshoua presented the concept at the 2016 Milken Global Conference, an annual gathering bringing together leaders in health, government, education and other disciplines to address pressing challenges. She also entered the Conrad Spirit of Innovation Challenge, a national competition inviting high school students to propose innovative solutions to problems in health and other fields. She was selected as a semifinalist and traveled to Florida to present her ideas.

In addition to her interest in cardiology, Yeshoua  also is drawn to dentistry. She began volunteering in the dental lab at the Veterans Affairs hospital the summer before her junior year. She helps make prosthetics and dental devices such as bridges and retainers.

Yeshoua’s pursuits extend beyond the medical field. She plays on Milken’s basketball and tennis teams and is an avid skateboarder.

The second of four children, she enjoys music and has played piano for about 10 years.

“All of my siblings play sports and instruments,” she said.

“I’m a huge family girl,” she added. “I love spending time with my siblings.”

Family played a role in Yeshoua’s choice of colleges. When deciding between UC Berkeley and USC, she chose the latter so she could spend Shabbats at home. Also, her older brother attends USC. He will join her in pursuing the defibrillator project. 

Yeshoua’s mother expressed concern about the workload that a science-based choice of study would entail for her daughter. But Yeshoua has no reservations. “This is my true passion,” she said. “This is what I want to do.”

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Scalded toddlers get incorrect first aid

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Sarah WiedersehnAustralian Associated Press

More than two-thirds of toddlers burned in hot drink accidents are not treated with correct first aid, new Australian research has found.

Hot drink scalds are the leading cause of childhood burns in Australia, and 74 per cent occur in children aged under two.

A year-long study of children aged 0-36 months at the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital in Queensland found only 28 per cent of children received correct burn first aid for hot drink scalds.

This was despite 66 per cent of parents reporting that they had undertaken first aid training in the previous 12 months.

University of Queensland PhD candidate Jacquii Burgess at the Centre for Children’s Burns and Trauma Research – who led the study – says there is strong evidence that applying 20 minutes of cool running water to a burn or scald reduces pain, scarring and hospital stays.

“The most common reason parents reported applying water for shorter periods of time was that they thought it was adequate or the child was too distressed,” Ms Burgess said.

The study also found that on most occasions children were within arm’s reach of a supervising adult when a hot drink scald happened.

“Lack of supervision is often cited as a primary contributor to childhood injuries but for these scalds it appears that attention and continuity of supervision play a more important role than just being close to your child to keep them safe,” she said.

This finding, says Ms Burgess, may reflect the competing demands placed on parents and caregivers in a busy household.

“The majority of incidents recorded were caused by the child pulling down a cup of hot liquid over themselves.

“It’s about putting your cup of hot coffee or tea to the back of the bench or out of reach of your toddler to give yourself those few extra seconds to intervene.”

The research has been published in the Burns journal.

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NRL Confidential: The day James Graham infamously broke his hand

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THE STORY BEHIND GRAHAM’S BROKEN HAND

Englishman James Graham has always been reluctant to talk about how he broke his hand while on Mad Monday with St Helens back in 2006.
The injury cost the firebrand prop his spot in the Great Britain side for the Tri-Nations that year, which left him angrier than usual.
And unfortunately for him, former teammate Leon Pryce has revealed the story behind it in his recently released autobiography Pryceless.
Graham won the competition with Saints that season and had passed out after some pretty big celebrations.

James Graham watches on. Picture: Mark Evans
James Graham watches on. Picture: Mark EvansSource: News Corp Australia
That’s when Pryce, along with teammates Lee Gilmour and Nick Fozzard, decided to take advantage.

“Gilly lay thick black dye all over Jammer’s ginger locks and his eyebrows. He doesn’t move because he’s dead to the world,” Pryce wrote in his book.

“It started running into his eyes so we dragged him to the shower and he starts to come around and sees that his hair is turning black!

“He goes mad, punches the wall and the window frame, going berserk.”

When asked about it on NRL 360, Graham said the prank “was not hilarious at the time for me, but everyone else thought it was genius and looking back it was pretty funny”.
According to Pryce, Graham took his anger out onto the street and deliberately crashed his car into Pryce’s, causing more damage to his own than his teammate’s.

“He didn’t speak to me properly for a good six months after that,” he added.

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AEDs: The Life-Saving Devices that Everyone Should Know How to Use

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For the best chance of survival, an AED should be used within three to five minutes after collapse. For every minute that passes without CPR and defibrillation, the chance of survival for a victim of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) decreases by 7 to 10 percent. After 10 minutes, very few SCA victims survive.

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a leading cause of death and a major health problem in the United States, with more than 356,000 people suffering from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year, according to the American Heart Association. Without immediate treatment, death can occur within minutes if the victim collapses, causing nine out of 10 victims of SCA to lose their life (Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation).

However, when bystanders intervene by giving CPR and using an automated external defibrillator (AED), survival rates can triple. An AED is a lightweight, portable device that checks a person’s heart and delivers an electric shock if it has stopped beating normally. An AED is the most effective treatment for restoring a regular heart rhythm during SCA. Created with the layperson in mind, these devices are designed to guide the everyday person through a cardiac emergency with simple, step-by-step instructions. An AED can determine if a shock is necessary by analyzing the patient’s heart rhythm and will automatically deliver the right shock, at the right time.

AEDs Through the Years

AEDs have improved immensely from when they were first introduced in 1980s and they have helped drastically change outcomes for people who have suffered a SCA. Before AEDs were available, the first intervention for SCA was cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). While CPR is important, it alone cannot save SCA victims.

When they were first introduced, AEDs weighed 13 pounds and only were used by trained professionals, such as police officers, fire fighters and EMTs. In 1984, the first AED specifically designed to be used by the public was brought to market. At this time, the public at large knew virtually nothing about defibrillators in general and it didn’t cross the publics’ imagination that AEDs would be available in airports, schools, office buildings and even the home.

In the early 1990s, Heartstream, a pioneer in early defibrillation, embarked on a journey to create the small, lightweight, biphasic defibrillator. In the mid-1990s, in response to the availability of public access AEDs, legislatures across the U.S. began putting Good Samaritan legislation in place.  While the specifics of these laws vary from state to state, they generally reduce liability risk and assume that when an unconscious victim cannot respond, a Good Samaritan can help them on the grounds of implied consent.

In the early 2000s, AEDs were developed that included attenuated pads for pediatric indications. Shortly thereafter, AEDs were developed that provided guidance for the layperson, acting as a personal coach to guide the user through a cardiac emergency. These AEDs give an untrained responder the confidence to act quickly, decisively and lead the way to save a life.

Today, AEDs are on board major U.S. airlines, dozens of regional airlines and many of the largest international carriers. They also be found in the busiest U.S. airports, professional sports team arenas, shopping malls, casinos and Fortune 500 companies.

The Importance of Training

Despite wide availability, many people still do not know what AEDs are, how to use them or that they are designed to be used by laypeople with no medical background. Contrary to popular belief, trained professionals are not the only people who can help a nearby SCA victim.

Today’s AEDs are designed for the layperson. The more familiar people are with the signs of SCA and the use of the AED, the more likely they are to be calm and helpful in an actual emergency.

Setting up an AED is easy with instructions that guide the user through the set-up process. The entire procedure is complete in just a few minutes and the device is ready to use. AEDs are self-monitoring and perform regular self-tests to make sure that everything is working. Regular maintenance includes periodic replacement of pads and batteries every few years. The device has both audio and visual indicators to alert you of its ready for use state and each AED comes with a sticker reminder system.

AEDs should be placed in visible, accessible and clearly marked location that increase the chances of getting the AED to a person having an SCA in less than three minutes. Elevators, cafeterias and reception areas are all good locations for AEDs.

When bystanders intervene by giving CPR and using AEDs, four out of 10 victims survive (Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation). CPR by itself can only extend a victim’s life temporarily, giving the victim a small amount of extra time until an AED is available. Defibrillation is the only treatment option to restore a normal heart rhythm. It is a two-step process to save a SCA victim, with CPR and an AED going hand-in-hand.

Only one-third of SCA victims receive CPR from bystanders, and only 2 percent are treated with AEDs before the paramedics arrive at the scene. For every minute that passes, the chances of survival decrease significantly.

The availability of AEDs in public spaces is crucial and can drastically improve someone’s chances of SCA survival. By driving awareness around AEDs, people will have the understanding of these tools that can empower them with the knowledge and confidence to save a life.

About the Author: Joe Sovak is vice president and general manager, Emergency Care & Resuscitation, Philips. Click here for more information about Philips HeartStart products and survivor stories.

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Change to instructions on EpiPen® administration

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Australians prescribed EpiPen® or EpiPen® Jr are probably aware of changes made to administration of the EpiPen® autoinjector in the USA in 2016. Now that the USA manufacturer, Mylan, has permission from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to make the changes in Australia advice on administration of the EpiPen® has also changed in  Australia.

The devices have not changed, just the instructions on the label, which now include:

  • Reduced injection time from 10 to 3 seconds – this is based on research confirming delivery of adrenaline through the 3 second delivery time.
  • Removal of the massage step after the injection – this has been found to reduce the risk of irritation at the injection site.

EpiPen® and EpiPen® Jr adrenaline (epinephrine) autoinjectors with the 3 second label will start to enter pharmacies in Australia from today (13 June 2017) onwards.

EpiPen®s with a 10 second label can continue to be used and should not be replaced unless they have been used, are just about to expire or have expired.  

All EpiPen®s should now be held in place for 3 seconds, regardless of the instructions on the label.  However, if they are held for 10 seconds it will not affect the way that the adrenaline works.

ASCIA Action Plans for Anaphylaxis have been updated to reflect the above changes as have other ASCIA resources at www.allergy.org.au/anaphylaxis

A&AA has updated our administration of EpiPen® animation which can be viewed below or on our YouTube Channel at https://youtu.be/Zmt-cI1ZIYE.

A new short video featuring Dr Andrew Rochford, explaining changes can be viewed below or on our YouTube Channel at https://youtu.be/yisK5OeJHTE.

EpiPen® administration

EpiPen® Change and How to Use

Content updated 13 June 2017

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Leader Local Grant helps St Kilda Cycling Club offer first aid

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ST KILDA cyclists are ready for any emergency that comes their way thanks to a Leader Local Grant to provide first aid training to recreational riders.

St Kilda Cycling Club training officer Alison Raaymakers said the $1000 grant was “absolutely money well spent”, with eight members and ride leaders trained to offer first aid.

And members had already put their new skills to the test, springing into action when a rider tumbled off her bike and hit her head.

“It was good to know what to do in a situation like that,” Ms Raaymakers said.

“There are always little incidents when you’re out riding but thankfully I haven’t had to deal with any breaks yet.”

Ms Raaymakers said members had also stopped to help when they came across people in need while out riding.

“The more people with first aid skills, the better it is for the whole community,” she said.

The club has about 1000 members, with up to 20 taking part in rides held every day.

St Kilda Cycling Club was the winner of the Caulfield Glen Eira/Port Phillip Leader’s Leader Local Grants program last year.

The program is back for 2017, celebrating initiatives that help our communities by giving away thousands of dollars to projects across Melbourne.

We want to hear about inspirational ideas that just need some help to get going.

It might be a weed-control project for an environmental group, a defibrillator for a sporting club, solar panels for a men’s shed, or anything else that helps your organisation do what it does.

Readers will get to vote for their favourite idea and the projects with the most votes in each of the 26 communities we cover across Melbourne will receive a $1000 grant. Applications close July 14.

Leader Community News runs the program, with our partners Channel 9, Smooth FM, The Langham and Toyota Community Foundation.

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Dealing with an emergency

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No one wants to imagine having to deal with emergencies. But you can be a lifesaver if you know what to do and are able to help.Emergencies need quick action, not panic. It sounds like a cliché, but remaining calm is the key to acting sensibly and with confidence. The person in need of help will need your assurance, and sensing your own anxiety and panic will only increase his/her distress.

Don’t wait for an emergency before you refer to these pages. Prepare yourself now by studying this information and, better still, attend a first aid course. The information given here is not meant to replace practical training that is given on a first-aid course. Contact Canberra First Aid training organisation for courses in your area. If you have taken a course previously, make sure your skills are up-to-date. Make sure that your childminder knows first aid. Again, don’t wait until it is too late.

Post emergency telephone numbers next to all phones in your home and office and save them on your cell phone. Important numbers to keep are of an emergency service, fire department, nearest hospital, the poison information centre and your GP. Know the shortest route to hospital.

Any family member with a serious medical condition, such as a heart condition, epilepsy, diabetes or a drug allergy, should wear a MedicAlert tag or carry a card. This will ensure that proper care can be given. MedicAlert identification can be obtained at your pharmacy or doctor. List any serious medical conditions family members may have and keep the list handy. Teach your children how to call emergency numbers, and tell them to show the list to emergency medical personnel.

Keep a well-stocked first aid kit at home and in your car.

There is a wide spectrum of conditions that can be considered emergencies. Many may turn out not to be as serious as initially suspected, but if in doubt, it is better to react promptly now, than have regrets later.

Dealing with accidents and injuries

  • Stay calm, sum up the situation quickly and act fast.
  • Before you act, adopt the SAFE approach. Shout for assistance, Approach with care, Free the victim from dangers, and Evaluate the victim. Protect yourself and the injured person from danger or further injury. Look out for hazards such as oncoming traffic and fire. If you cannot reach the person without putting yourself in great danger, leave him or her and call the emergency services immediately. Remember that you will not be able to help anyone if you become a victim yourself.
  • Do not move the person unless there is imminent danger such as a fire. If the person must be moved, there should preferably be someone controlling the neck and head to keep them in alignment, and at least two other people on either side of the person to lift him without moving the spine.
  • Get help. Call out for someone to phone for emergency assistance.
  • Check for breathing.
  • Prioritise problems. Remember that the most obvious injury is not necessarily the most serious. Deal with the most life-threatening problems (such as blocked airway and excessive bleeding) first.
  • Check to see if the person is wearing a MedicAlert tag or other medical identification.
  • Loosen tight clothing and cover the person to keep him or her warm.
  • If there are no suspected back and neck injuries and breathing is normal, move the person into the recovery position.
  • In the case of serious injury or shock, don’t give anything to eat or drink.

When to call an ambulance
Calling for an ambulance is generally the fastest way to reach a hospital. A private car may be an alternative option, but only if the hospital is very close by.

In case of poisoning, contact the poison control centre immediately as emergency steps need to be taken before leaving for the hospital.

Call an ambulance if:

  • You don’t know what to do or are uncertain of the severity of the injury
  • Someone is unconscious or struggling to breathe
  • You suspect a back or neck injury
  • Someone may be having a heart attack
  • A person is seriously injured
  • A small child is injured, unless you have another adult with you who can drive
  • There is serious bleeding that you cannot stop

When you call an ambulance, state clearly:

  • The site of the emergency (include names of cross streets, if possible)
  • What happened to the victim and the victim’s condition
  • The number of the people injured
  • The age of the victim
  • Your name and contact telephone number
  • Any first aid currently being given

Do not hang up until the operator tells you to. This way you’ll be sure that you have given all the necessary information.

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CURE FOR ALLERGIES AND ASTHMA

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Researchers from the University of Queensland have discovered a way to switch off immune reactions from allergies such as asthma.

The study, published in JCI Insight proposes that common allergies to peanuts and shellfish could be cured by the new treatment.

The method revolves around the erasure of cells that form memories resilient to treatment. The researchers, while experimenting with gene therapy successfully desensitised the immune system, providing a stable protection that will hypothetically last forever explained associate professor Ray Steptoe.

THE CHALLENGE IN ASTHMA AND ALLERGIES IS THAT THESE IMMUNE CELLS, KNOWN AS T-CELLS, DEVELOP A FORM OF IMMUNE ‘MEMORY’ AND BECOME VERY RESISTANT TO TREATMENTS. WE HAVE NOW BEEN ABLE ‘WIPE’ THE MEMORY OF THESE T-CELLS IN ANIMALS WITH GENE THERAPY, DESENSITISING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM SO THAT IT TOLERATES THE PROTEIN.

Dr Steptoe goes on to explain that the next stage of trialling, will replicate results “using human cells in the laboratory.”

This will be done by taking blood stem cells and inserting them with a gene that will regulate the allergen. This will then be put in the human recipient to target specific immune cells and in turn, eventually switching off the allergic response.

The final stage according to Dr Steptoe, is to have a singular injected gene therapy to replace treatments that are unreliable and short term.

WE HAVEN’T QUITE GOT IT TO THE POINT WHERE IT’S AS SIMPLE AS GETTING A FLU JAB, SO WE ARE WORKING ON MAKING IT SIMPLER AND SAFER SO IT COULD BE USED ACROSS A WIDE CROSS-SECTION OF AFFECTED INDIVIDUALS,

The new treatment will target long time asthma suffers and those with fatal food allergies. The trialling process is expected to last five more years before human trials begin. The “single-jab” cure is at least 10-15 years away.

Dr Peter Anderson, CEO of the Asthma Foundation of Queensland and New South Wales explains that for the two million Australians who suffer from severe asthma, this new treatment could be life changing:

THE FOUNDATION WELCOMES THE FINDINGS OF THIS RESEARCH AND LOOKS FORWARD TO A DAY IN THE FUTURE WHEN A SAFE ONE-OFF TREATMENT MAY BE AVAILABLE THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO ELIMINATE ANY EXPERIENCE OF ASTHMA IN VULNERABLE PATIENTS.

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