Anguish for the health of Altamirano: what an epileptic seizure is, what are the consequences and what the recovery will be like according to the opinion of a specialist

Minutes of anguish and desperation were experienced on Sunday evening in La Plata during the match between Students AND Mouth who was suspended after 27 minutes of play after the Chilean midfielder Javier Altamirano, 24 years old, decompensated and began having convulsions. Some of his teammates, in particular Enzo Pérez and Santiago Ascacibar, burst into tears as the player was transported in an ambulance after receiving first aid on the pitch. There were moments of uncertainty until the voice from the stadium restored calm when it assured that the player had stabilized.

The first studies to which Altamirano was subjected have shown positive results. Although it still remains to be clarified what the origin of the crises was and this is why the former Huachipato remains hospitalized for observation in the intensive care unit of the Platense Medical Institute awaiting new evaluations.

While waiting for the evolution of Altamirano, who spent the night stable and in the company of his pregnant wife, the questions multiply. What was the origin of the seizure? What consequences can they have? And what are the steps to take before returning to competing at high performance? Clarín consulted the cardiologist and the sports doctor Norberto Debbag (MN 51.320) to explain all these problems.

“The important thing is that the studies carried out at this time have proven him right. Furthermore, the fact that everything was checked quickly is no small thing because it excludes the possibility of an epileptic episode. “It must be treated carefully and trying to find the causes of the reaction,” she warns. Debbag in dialogue with this newspaper.

“An epileptic seizure is an alteration of the brain’s electrical conduction, a function carried out by neurons.. It is a cerebral symptom that produces irritation and muscle contraction and jerks occur in the spinal cord, “she explained. And she continued:”This is a rare situation to see in a footballer.unless a head injury occurs, which is normal in sports like boxing, but which did not occur during the match.”

After finding himself conscious and stable, Debbag confirmed that the steps to follow are based on a single research: determine whether the crisis is due to neurological or cardiological causes.

“First it will be necessary to certify whether the player’s fainting was due to convulsion or vice versa. This will clarify the situation. Altamirano will eventually be subjected to studies such as an MRI, a neurological exam, an EKG, interrogations to assess what you remember about the situation, and I would try a 24 or 48 hour holter to be more specific in everything,” specified the doctor who is also in charge of treating the professional staff of Estudiantes de Buenos Aires.

From his experience, Debbag He ruled out the possibility that the seizures were caused by a lack of sodium or by stress that could have been caused by the heat. because the accident occurred before half an hour of play. Furthermore, he specified that a CT scan carried out in the last hours of Sunday allowed the doctors to do so exclude “the possibility of tumors or cerebral hemorrhage”.

“That means, Luckily there was no chance of sudden death.“he underlined…

Given this panorama, it is from the cardiological side that an explanation of the case could emerge. “If this were the case, the first thing that the competent doctors will have to exclude are pathologies related to arrhythmias. They are usually not seen in the studies that are carried out daily on professional players, “he said. And he cited as an example the case of Sergio Kun Agüero, who had to stop actively practicing football after a coronary problem.

However, there is also the possibility that the analyzes do not reveal any pathology that would allow Altamirano to explain the reason for the episode. If so, Debbag believed it might be a “idiopathic epileptic seizure“.

“There is always a percentage chance that an explanation will not be found.. If this were to happen, we would only have to resort to subjecting the player, once discharged, to a similar request to that suffered during the match to see if his body will be able to withstand those loads again”, he explained.

Altamirano, who was transferred to the Italian Hospital of the City of Buenos Aires on Monday morning to undergo an MRI and will then return to the Platense Medical Institute, has a long road ahead of him before returning to the field. “The main thing is to wait for the diagnosis. Without this it is not possible to do futurology or delve deeper into the topic.. “It is the most important thing that remains to be known because only then will we know the causes of the episode and the concrete steps to follow.”

And he added: “If everything goes well and Altamirano receives medical discharge in the next few hours, the recovery will be gradual: A psychophysical rest of 15 or 20 days is envisaged, to which is added the help of a psychologist for both the player and his family.. The fears and questions that may appear in the boy’s head when he returns to playing football can play an important role in recovery.”

Despite the desperation generated by suffering situations of this type in the middle of a match, Debbag believes it is positive that the episode experienced by Altamirano remained of an average duration, which varies from a few seconds to two minutes at most. “If about 10 minutes had passed, as sometimes happens, we could be talking about brain or organ damagebut this is not the case,” he warned.

Furthermore, he underlined the speed of the medical procedure in case of emergency. The ambulance entering and leaving the stadium took just two minutes, a fact that facilitates patient care even though the vehicle is equipped with anticonvulsant drugs to control the situation.

“Entries must be quick. That’s why checks are carried out to ensure that nothing bad happens. Everything is reported for cases of this type or even worse,” Debbag said, praising the effectiveness of the Estudiantes protocol.

They will be quieter hours than those experienced during the early morning. “The medical report is the most important thing, it functions as a diagnosis of general causes that clarify the steps to follow“Debbag closed.