NBA Updates PH – The 18-year-old son of NBA star LeBron James, Bronny James, had a cardiac arrest while practicing hoops. His family said that the new freshman basketball player for the University of Southern California was taken to the hospital on Monday.
Cedars-Sinai Medical in Los Angeles said Thursday that he was sent home from the hospital.
A cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Merije Chukumerije, said, “Even though his work-up will continue, we are hopeful that he will continue to get better and are encouraged by his response, his strength, and the support of his family and community.”
Chukumerije said that the USC athletics medical team responded: “quickly and well.”
“When he got to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, he was awake, his nerves were fine, and he was stable,” Chukumerije said Thursday.
CNN got the 911 call after making a public records request, and the Los Angeles Fire Department said they took out a lot of the call to follow California’s rules on public records disclosure.
The operator asks if there is “a doctor on the scene” or a registered nurse, and the speaker says there isn’t a doctor there.
CNN hasn’t been able to find out for sure if there was medical help on the scene that the caller couldn’t see.
During college sports practices, there is typically a sports trainer present. According to the NCAA, all athletic trainers, team physicians, and strength and conditioning coaches are trained and certified in CPR, as well as how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED).
Thursday was the first time since the practice accident that LeBron James tweeted about his son. He thanked people for giving his family “love and prayers.”
“We know how you feel, and I’m so thankful. “Everyone’s doing great,” the Los Angeles Lakers player wrote. “Our family is safe and well, and we can feel your love. We’ll have more to say when we’re ready, but I wanted to let everyone know how much your support has meant to all of us. #JamesGang”
In the event of cardiac arrest, the heart suddenly stops beating due to electrical issues. Prompt treatment is crucial, as the condition can be fatal. However, according to the American Heart Association, administering CPR and using a defibrillator can effectively address the problem.
The fact Bronny James was released so soon was a very favorable development, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said Thursday.
Gupta said, “He’s probably wearing a monitor to check his heart rhythms at home to see if there are any problems.” “But so far, it sounds like they haven’t found anything too bad, so they’re happy to let him go.”
It is rare, but not unheard of, for young players to have a sudden heart attack. A 2011 study looked at the sudden deaths of NCAA student-athletes between 2004 and 2008. It showed that heart problems were the main cause of death in 45 cases, or about nine each year.
But Dr. Jonathan Drezner, who focuses on sports cardiology at the University of Washington Medical Center, told CNN that Bronny James “represents the single highest risk group” of athletes for sudden cardiac arrest. According to Drezner’s study, Black men who play Division I basketball in the NCAA have a 1 in 2,000 chance of having a sudden cardiac arrest every year. His study shows that the risk is 1 in 5,000 for a White male Division I basketball player.
“By far, the group of athletes most likely to have a sudden cardiac arrest is young men who play basketball in high school and college,” Drezner said. “We don’t fully understand why.” “I think they should all go through a more thorough and intensive heart screening than is usually done.”
A person who knows about the case says that Bronny James went to a program for people who want to play in the NBA and had a cardiac screening a few months ago. Someone said that the test was both an EKG and a transthoracic ultrasound. The transthoracic ultrasound examines the heart’s blood flow and valves, while an EKG records the heart’s electrical activity. Fortunately, both tests yielded normal results.
The 6-foot-3 combo guard graduated from Sierra Canyon High School in Los Angeles this spring. In his final year, he averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.7 steals. He was a four-star athlete, and he stood out at the McDonald’s All-American Game in March, where the best high school basketball players in the country competed.
Experts say it’s hard to know how Bronny James will get better until they know more about what caused his heart arrest and what his health condition is like now. Drezner said that the fact that he was treated right away and is already out of the intensive care unit is a good sign for his recovery.
