“Cádiz and its people have saved his life”

"The patient is stable.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
11 September 2022 Sunday 21:32
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“Cádiz and its people have saved his life”

"The patient is stable. In the ICU but he is improving," the president of Cádiz, Manuel Vizcaíno, explains to this newspaper in a relieved tone. The head of the Cadista club suffered a lot. At his side, President Joan Laporta shared that anguish. "We have been in contact. I have been telling him about the patient's evolution," adds Vizcaíno. It was shocking what was experienced at the south end of Nuevo Mirandilla when nine minutes from the end of Cádiz-Barcelona a 69-year-old man fainted losing consciousness suddenly. "Heart attack code", was heard. "The emergency protocol was very clear and was complied with. It is a protocol that depends on the local authorities. I am happy to see that everything seems to be going to end well", adds Vizcaino.

The National Police arrived and cleared the stands. They also evacuated the patient's daughter and her nephew, who waited nervously at the entrance to the stadium accompanied by two more professionals from the Red Cross. Seven toilets quickly moved to the area to help the affected. They were not alone. Fernando Arévalo, an emergency doctor and Cádiz subscriber who was watching the game very close to the south end, joined in. “When I saw what was happening, I went inside to the area where the patient was with the Cádiz doctor. When I arrived there was, in addition to the Red Cross staff, a cardiologist from the Puerta del Mar University Hospital who came from another tier and a nurse who is also a Cádiz fan, ”Arévalo explains to this newspaper.

The prognosis was very serious. "If it hadn't happened on a soccer field where there were many professionals... I don't know what would have happened," says Arévalo. During this conversation. The doctor received a message from one of the patient's children to thank him for the work done. “It is a very nice message. I have been very moved, ”he confesses.

To help with the first recovery tasks, one more Cadista fan joined. This is Hugo García, a health emergency technician. “I reached out to help them. I lent my shirt to the patient to preserve his privacy. We were with the first resuscitation maneuvers and a defibrillator monitor that they had there. Then the defibrillator from Barcelona arrived, brought by Conan Ledesma, the Cádiz goalkeeper, ”says Hugo.

It was Barcelona physiotherapist Carlos Nogueira, who hurried across the pitch to give Ledesma the second defibrillator. The gesture of both won the applause of a grandstand that had remained silent. “Cádiz had a Red Cross medical team and a defibrillator. At the same time, Barça offered the second in case it was necessary”, specifies the president Vizcaíno. The patient required 46 minutes of resuscitation exercises to restore his vital signs. “We gave him several cardiac massages. It was the least we could do”, details Hugo. Until the 061 emergency team arrived, ten minutes passed that seemed like hours. “We did basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation and went on to advanced when they arrived. Little by little, he recovered his heart rate,” says Arévalo. "When they arrived we administered the necessary medication to stabilize him," he adds.

On the pitch, Ansu Fati and Araújo prayed and referee Del Cerro Grande spoke with the captains. Finally, almost all the players went to the changing rooms. At the same time, anxiety also made an appearance in the same gallery when a television cameraman suffered a drop in blood pressure. More members of the Red Cross were required again. “There was also another girl next to us who had an anxiety attack. She was taken care of too,” says Hugo.

When they finally recovered the vital signs of the Cadista fan, the toilets required one more help. A stretcher to transfer him to the ambulance. It was brought by José Mari, the captain of Cádiz. They took him to the Puerta del Mar hospital, where he remains in the ICU. "In the end, the people of his club have saved his life," they all say.