Campus sudden death incidents keep occurring—how did PE class become a “farewell class”? Xu Liang, director of the Intensive Care Unit at the city’s Third Hospital who participated in Liu Xiao’s rescue, said that apart from factors like lack of exercise leading to poor physical condition, frequent late nights are the main “culprit.” Once sudden death occurs, effective first aid is only possible within the “golden four minutes,” making the “first witness” crucial.
Sudden collapse during 50m run puts 19-year-old girl’s life in jeopardy
Liu Xiao is a sophomore at a university in Wuhan. On May 21, she overslept and rushed to her PE class after just having some bread, to take part in a 50m sprint test. Usually in good health, she didn’t take the 50m test seriously at all.
At 8:40 a.m., it was her turn. But just 10 meters into the run, she suddenly collapsed, her face pale, breathing weak, and she lost consciousness instantly. Her classmates on the field were stunned, and within two seconds, panic spread: “Someone’s fainted!”
PE teacher Xia Tian (a pseudonym) rushed to Liu Xiao’s side immediately. She didn’t respond to his calls, and when he checked her pulse, there was almost none. “This is bad, it might be sudden death.” Xia Tian immediately rolled up his sleeves, laid Liu Xiao flat, and knelt down to perform chest compressions.
At the same time, he asked one student to call 120 and another to fetch the school doctor.
Thrilling 20-minute rescue with “seamless coordination”
At 8:42 a.m., school doctor Wu Wei arrived and took over from Xia Tian to continue chest compressions on Liu Xiao.
At 8:43 a.m., the ambulance from the city’s Third Hospital arrived. Doctor Li (name abbreviated) recalled that at the time, Liu Xiao had a bluish complexion, wasn’t breathing, and had no carotid artery pulse, indicating her heart had stopped. He took over, performed one round (30 seconds, 60 compressions) of chest compressions, but Liu Xiao still showed no signs of revival and had to be rushed to the hospital for further emergency treatment.
Li said that generally, a judgment is made after five rounds of CPR. The hospital was very close to the school, so getting her there as soon as possible was more beneficial for the patient. He directed the stretcher team to lift Liu Xiao onto the ambulance and continued chest compressions on the way. “Chest compressions must not stop for even a second, otherwise even the most skilled doctor can do nothing.”
Upon leaving the school, they saw that traffic was completely congested in the forward direction but clear in the opposite. Without hesitation, Li had the driver go against traffic, running two red lights. “Every minute that passes reduces the patient’s chance of survival by 10%. Time is life!”
In the ambulance, Li did not stop performing chest compressions on Liu Xiao.
Two minutes later, at 8:48 a.m., the ambulance arrived at the emergency department of the city’s Third Hospital. By then, 30-year-old Li was completely drenched in sweat. The department head Wan Shaobing, head nurse Tian Juanjuan, and six nurses were ready. Compressions, ECG monitoring, defibrillation...
At 9:00 a.m., after six minutes of chest compressions and two defibrillations, Liu Xiao’s heart resumed beating. After more than ten days of treatment, Liu Xiao gradually recovered her health.
Seize the “Golden 4 Minutes”—The First Witness Is Crucial
“This is the most complete and well-coordinated CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) rescue I’ve ever seen.” When Liu Xiao was brought to the ICU of the hospital, Xu Liang was astonished. He said that once the heart stops, the brain tissue’s tolerance to complete oxygen deprivation is 4–6 minutes, but medically it’s set more strictly at 4 minutes.
Xu Liang explained that the consequences of cardiac arrest are measured in seconds: 10 seconds—loss of consciousness, sudden collapse; 30 seconds—full-body convulsions; 60 seconds—breathing gradually stops; 3 minutes—onset of “brain edema”; 6 minutes—brain cells begin to die; 8 minutes—brain death, entering a vegetative state.
“The 4–6 minute window is the golden time for saving a sudden death victim.” Xu Liang said that if CPR is performed within 1 minute of collapse, the survival rate is over 90%; within 4 minutes, over 60%; within 6 minutes, over 40%, and then it drops by 10% per minute. After 10 minutes, it’s virtually zero—even if the person is revived, they may end up in a vegetative state.
Statistics show that 87.7% of sudden deaths occur outside hospitals, and due to distance, road conditions, and other factors, ambulances take at least 5–10 minutes to arrive. Waiting for medical personnel to administer aid is clearly too late.
“The first witness is crucial.” Xu Liang said that the correct and only way to save a patient’s life is for the first witness to immediately call 120 and perform chest compressions on-site.
Cardiac-Related Sudden Death Is Most Common, Frequent Late Nights Are the Culprit
In recent years, reports of young students collapsing and dying during sports have not been uncommon. At Wuhan University Renmin Hospital and Guangzhou Military Wuhan General Hospital, among nearly 100 sudden death cases treated each year, young people under 40 make up about 30%, mostly occurring during intense activities like running or playing basketball.
“The most common cause of sports-related sudden death is cardiac-related sudden death, accounting for 90%.” said Professor Xia Hao, a cardiovascular specialist at Wuhan University Renmin Hospital. Compared to elderly people with chronic cardiovascular diseases, young people often don’t understand their own physical condition and think they can “push themselves,” but when their bodies can’t handle the exercise load, their cardiovascular systems are prone to problems.
Xia Hao believes that the frequent occurrence of sudden death among college students is directly related to frequent late nights, which has become a consensus in the industry. “Many people don’t realize how much harm staying up late does to the body, especially going to exercise after staying up late.” He said the human body is like a spring—if you exceed its limits or stress it for too long, it will deform, and immunity will drop significantly. During exercise, the body’s metabolic rate increases sharply, and if the heart can’t keep up with the increased activity, it may suffer from ischemia or severe oxygen deficiency. Staying up late becomes the “catalyst” for sudden death.
Students’ Physical Condition Declines Year by Year—Warm-Up Before Exercise Is Essential
Apart from staying up late, students’ physical conditions are also concerning. According to a report by the Beijing News, in a physical fitness test conducted last year among over 200,000 teenagers nationwide, over half of the boys in junior high and above couldn’t complete a single pull-up. Results from the 2010 National Physical Fitness Survey also showed that college students’ physical quality has been declining for 25 years, especially cardiovascular endurance. Compared to 1985, lung capacity has dropped by nearly 10%.
Zhang Qingsong, director of the Sports Medicine Department at Wuhan’s Pu’ai Hospital, said that lack of regular exercise and sudden intense activity can put extra strain on the heart, easily leading to accidents. It’s essential to warm up for 5–10 minutes before exercising, such as jogging or muscle stretching. Stay hydrated during exercise, and if you experience symptoms like dizziness, palpitations, nausea, or chest pain, rest immediately—never push through the discomfort.
Link: The correct method for chest compressions
Incorrect chest compressions are not only ineffective but may also cause complications such as rib fractures, pericardial effusion, pneumothorax, hemothorax, and lung contusions, leading to secondary injuries for the patient, which should be avoided as much as possible.
The correct method is as follows:
Place the patient in a horizontal position with the head lower than the heart level, and elevate the lower limbs if possible to promote venous blood return. If chest compressions are performed on a soft bed, place a hard board under the patient’s back.
The correct location for chest compressions is two finger-widths above the xiphoid process (the last rib). Place the heel of one hand on the lower half of the sternum, and overlap the other hand on top of it. Ensure that the shoulder, elbow, and wrist are aligned in a straight line, and keep your fingers either extended or interlocked without touching the chest wall.
During compression, keep the elbow joint straight and use the strength of your shoulders and back to press vertically downward, reducing the sternum by about 3–5 cm, then suddenly release. The time for compression and release should be roughly equal. Do not lift your hands from the chest wall during relaxation, and maintain a compression rate of two compressions per second.