You’re covering a local high school football game when you
witness a 16-year-old male get tackled after catching the ball
and getting “blindsided.” He is slow to move but staggers to his
feet. He appears confused and runs to the opposing team’s
huddle, at which time the referee stops the game. You’re called
to assess him on the sideline. What tools do you have to
evaluate this patient, and how do you decide if they’re safe to
return to the game? Does this patient need transport to the
hospital? When a football player has been knocked out and isn’t
moving on the field, most EMS protocols recommend full
immobilization and transport to the hospital. Over the years,
however, the case of the player who is briefly knocked out or
even dazed but is now awake and moving around has become tougher
to manage. Even as late as 10 years ago, it wasn’t uncommon for
patients who were diagnosed with a mild concussion to be
returned to the game as soon as 15 minutes after their symptoms
cleared. Research into concussions has sh