Sunday, January 31, 1999
Super Bowl means medical alert
Doctors, police see postgame casualties
BY TIM BONFIELD
The Cincinnati Enquirer
When the Super Bowl ends, the work begins for Tristate police and emergency medical teams.
Super Bowl Sunday has become a national day to party, much like New Year's Eve or Halloween. And just as with an official holiday, there likely will be a jump in casualties.
“Usually it's pretty quiet during the game itself,” said Dr. Alan Storrow, an emergency medicine professor at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. “But after the game is over, it gets busier than usual.”
Yes, the emergency departments see an increase in trauma cases linked to drunken driving. But they also see a wave of patients with asthma attacks, minor injuries, even chest pain and possible strokes — all people who wanted to watch the game rather than go to the hospital.
“What we see mostly is people putting off conditions they probably should seek care for,” Dr. Storrow said.
Injuries are more likely in Denver or Atlanta, depending on who wins and how rowdy the post-game celebration becomes.
Medical experts don't expect many Super Bowl-triggered heart attacks in Cincinnati, especially since the Bengals aren't in the game. But never say never.
Super Bowl Sunday could be a risky day for a sports nut with a bad heart, said Dr. Laura Wexler, interim chief of cardiology at UC Medical Center.
“I've had one or two patients (in a 25-year-career) who needed to take extra nitroglycerin during a big game to deal with their unstable angina,” Dr. Wexler said.
Studies do show that emotional stress can trigger a coronary event. But sports events rarely trigger enough stress, especially when compared with serious stuff such as a parent losing a child.
Years ago, during a fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Wexler served on a coronary rescue unit posted at Harvard's stadium during football games.
“We would see alumni in their 90s coming to watch the Harvard-Yale game,” Dr. Wexler said. “But we didn't have any business all season.”
David Hellkamp, a sports psychologist and chairman of the Xavier University athletic board, said players and coaches may face strong emotional stresses from the Super Bowl or other big games — but not so much the fans.
“People can become angry or a nuisance to others,” Dr. Hellkamp said. “But in 32 years, I've never had a patient who needed to be hospitalized after a sports event.”
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