Myth Of Tongue Swallowing Delays Life-saving Cpr In Collapsed Athletes

Despite wide nationalist wellness efforts, nan vulnerable story of "prevention of lingua swallowing" continues to persist during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). New investigation successful nan Canadian Journal of Cardiology, published by Elsevier, exposes nan mainstream and societal media's detrimental domiciled successful perpetuating this misconception, which often leads to captious delays successful due CPR for collapsed athletes.

Concern astir "tongue swallowing" leads resuscitators to discarded valuable clip trying to region nan lingua from nan airway path, alternatively than instantly initiating basal CPR procedures. The findings from this study underscore an urgent request for world nationalist wellness campaigns to correct CPR myths and stress nan value of contiguous thorax compressions. The study systematically analyzed 45 cases of athletes collapsing during sports events (1990–2024) that were caught connected video aliases documented online, focusing connected first resuscitation actions and corresponding media coverage.

Commenting connected nan main findings of nan analysis, lead interrogator of nan article "The Myth of "Tongue Swallowing" Delays Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation of Athletes With Cardiac Arrest, Yet It Is Often Perpetuated by nan Media" Dana Viskin, MD, Department of Cardiology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center and School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, says, "Our study showed that successful 84% of cases wherever nan first consequence was visible, inappropriate maneuvers to 'prevent lingua swallowing' were performed earlier due CPR. These incorrect actions were importantly associated pinch mediocre outcomes: 67% of those receiving specified maneuvers died aliases had terrible encephalon injury, compared to 0% erstwhile CPR was nan first response."

Media study revealed that astir half (48%) of high-exposure news articles explicitly utilized nan word "tongue swallowing," pinch astir praising nan laic responder for their actions. In articles describing abrupt cardiac apprehension (SCA) cases, 77% referenced "tongue swallowing" without acknowledging its inappropriateness arsenic a consequence to SCA, yet only 23% explicitly criticized nan intervention.

"Given that immoderate SCA patients, peculiarly young males pinch shockable apprehension rhythms, whitethorn grounds seizure-like activity astatine onset – a shape often observed successful sports-related SCA – it is understandable really this story whitethorn person carried into nan nationalist consequence to diversion SCA, contempt nan absence of objective line support for specified an intervention," points retired nan writer of nan accompanying editorial "Countering Misinformation successful nan Response to Sudden Cardiac Arrest successful Athletes" Nicholas Grubic, MSc, Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. "Furthermore, signs specified arsenic cyanosis and agonal respirations tin beryllium mistaken for choking, often prompting bystanders to prioritize airway inspection complete initiating CPR. Recent qualitative investigation has confirmed that specified misinterpretations tin hold aliases moreover interrupt life-saving interventions. Although promoting CPR and automated outer defibrillator (AED) knowledge remains a cornerstone of SCA education, school nan nationalist to admit nan early signs of an apprehension is arsenic critical, arsenic each 2nd without action drastically reduces nan chance of survival."

This investigation is particularly important now, arsenic nationalist CPR acquisition becomes progressively captious pinch wide media vulnerability to cardiac arrests successful sports.

Source:

Journal reference:

Viskin, D., et al. (2025). The Myth of “Tongue Swallowing” Delays Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation of Athletes With Cardiac Arrest, Yet It Is Often Perpetuated by nan Media. Canadian Journal of Cardiology. doi.org/10.1016/j.cjca.2025.06.002.