Seattle's FIFA World Cup games start today. UW Medicine, the Seattle Fire Department and Medic One teams have planned for weeks to ensure players' safety during the competition.
“It's important to have an emergency physician there because unfortunately in sports, occasionally there are more kinds of catastrophic injuries or illnesses such as a cardiac arrest,” said Dr. Steve Mitchell, an emergency medicine specialist at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
While visiting nations bring their own medical staffs, they often rely on local expertise to navigate healthcare needs and to manage catastrophic situations.
Dr. Jonathan Drezner, a sports medicine specialist, highlighted the importance of prep and teamwork. Each World Cup venue will have medical specialists on the sidelines. They have repeatedly run through real-time scenarios so that when emergencies occur, coordination is seamless and efficient.
“We've just spent so much time thinking about how to respond to emergencies on the field,” he said.
Download broadcast-quality video resources and downloadable soundbites with Mitchell and Drezner.
