Talented soccer player Adam Ankers he died directly after the match, of cardiac arrest. Although an ambulance was immediately called to the scene, emergency workers did not recognize his symptoms. , the parents believe that if the paramedics had started resuscitation earlier, they could have saved the boy.
17-year-old Adam, who was a player for England’s Wycombe Wanderers under-19 team, in January, he collapsed when returning from the field after a game. Although help was called, paramedics initially thought he was having a seizure. But the problem was that you they forgot a key symptom called agonal breathing, which occurs when the patient is not getting enough oxygen and is gasping for air. Experts say this is a known warning sign of cardiac arrest.
The emergency line worker did not notice the symptom and instead, he followed the instructions to treat the seizure. This caused that paramedics did not perform life-saving resuscitation until 30 minutes later, when Adam’s brain was already severely damaged. The boy was later taken to a hospital in London, where he was diagnosed with brain death. A few days later his family agreed to turn off life support.
An inquest into his death, carried out by the South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) Foundation Trust, revealed a potential missed opportunity for Adam’s rescue. His death at the same time pointed to a possible recurring problem in the rating and triage system for emergency line workers.
It was found that a 17-year-old boy he suffered from arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, a hereditary heart diseasewhich is responsible for around 600 sudden deaths a year in teenagers and young adults in the UK. Although this condition is fatal, it often goes unnoticed because its symptoms are not always visible in the early stages. However, some patients experience strong palpitations and fainting.
Adam’s father Alastair, who works as an anaesthetist, also did believes that if his son had been resuscitated earlier, he would have had a better chance of recovery. “Crucially, resuscitation was started with an eight-minute delay. We know that if we don’t do it quickly, it results in worse patient outcomes,” he noted, noting that the 911 operator did not even recommend that a defibrillator be used. The tragedy is that one was available right on the grounds of the football field.
Since the death of the teenager, SCAS approached the government agency National Health Service (NHS) with a request for a national review of the system. “Adam’s death at such a young age was tragic and it had a profound effect on his family and friends. Our sincere condolences to all those affected by his death. As part of our internal review, we shared the case with the national NHS Pathways team to they could investigate whether any changes to the algorithm are needed. We are still waiting for their answer,” explained the foundation.
