Doctor explains what happened to Bronny James and how he was 'dead' for a few moments
LeBron James' son Bronny James collapsed on the court during practice on Monday after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was treated by the medical staff at USC and then rushed to a hospital.
Bronny is in stable condition and out of the ICU as of Tuesday. The James family has requested privacy during this difficult time.
Doctor Brian Sutterer, a physiatrist from Minnesota who specializes in sports injuries, explained what could have happened with Bronny in his latest video on his YouTube channel:
"He [Bronny] was practicing, so presumably, there was some type of exertional component or something that happened around his athletics."
Dr. Sutterer also clarified that a cardiac arrest is different from a heart attack.
"A heart attack implies there has been some blockage in the vessel supplying blood to the heart. Cardiac arrest is more of a generic term, implying that something happened to cause the heart to stop beating. When the heart stops beating, you're essentially dead."
Dr. Brian Sutterer explained the first steps to aid someone in a cardiac arrest, which would be to use CPR to restore blood flow with repetitive chest compressions. He also informed viewers that doctors often have to defibrillate or shock the heart to restart it from a cardiac arrest.
Dr. Sutterer reckons that USC's medical staff would've had an AED or defibrillator on site to get Bronny James out of cardiac arrest before rushing him to the hospital. Details of what went down at USC following Bronny's cardiac arrest haven't been disclosed yet.
Bryce James posts an Instagram story for his elder brother Bronny amid his recovery
LeBron James and his family have sought privacy amid the unfortunate incident with Bronny James. The information available to the public so far has come directly from the family's camp. The latest is that Bronny is in stable condition. Here's what one of James' family's spokespeople said:
"Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital. He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU (intensive care). We ask for respect and privacy for the James family, and we will update the media when there is more information.
"LeBron and Savannah wish to publicly send their deepest thanks and appreciation to the USC medical and athletic staff for their incredible work and dedication to the safety of their athletes."
Bryce and Bronny ❤️
#NBA #BronnyJames #BryceJames #LebronJames pic.twitter.com/7bcYEHTSNA
Meanwhile, Bronny James' younger brother Bryce shared a picture on his Instagram story with a heart emoji, expressing his love for his older brother amid his recovery process.
Also read: What happened to Bronny James? LeBron James’ son suffers health debacle