On Wednesday night, Donovan Catholic High School wrestler Brandon Gonzalez was revived by a group of fast-acting coaches, trainers and spectators after collapsing during a tri-match with Lakewood and Toms River North in Lakewood, N.J.
Donovan Catholic head coach Steven Glawson told nj.com, “He went out like a bull, took the kid down, put him on his back and pinned him. Then we noticed he wasn't getting off the other kid.”
Glawson, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, worked together with Toms River North assistant coach Josh Huber, a trained lifeguard and Joseph Olesky III, a dentist from Lakewood who happened to be in the crowd, to revive Gonzalez.
According to Glawson, he was monitoring Gonzalez after he became unresponsive and noticed a rapid loss of pulse. “He went into anoxia because his body didn't get enough oxygen. It happens sometimes with fainting spells. His pulse disappeared,” he said.
Responders had immediate access to an AED and knew how to perform effective CPR, and Gonzalez quickly regained consciousness.
“If it wasn't for the advanced technology that lowered the costs of an AED to about $1,500, this may have had a different outcome. The quicker the defibrillation, the higher the rate of success. If we had to wait 20 minutes for one to arrive, he'd be dead,” Glawson said.
See: Infographic: AEDs and School Athletics
Stafford-Smith police arrived on the scene one minute after an emergency call was placed, and Gonzalez was taken by ambulance to the Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune.
Related from AB: Athletic Trainer, AED Save Athlete After Collapse
