The Danger of Hypokalemia: Tragic Death of 17-Year-Old Badminton Player Sparks Concern

A 17-year-old badminton player from Zhejiang died on the court. The cardiologist said: The symptoms after falling to the ground are very similar to this situation…

Doctors remind: The most feared thing after sweating a lot during summer exercise is hypokalemia

On June 30, at the 2024 Asian Youth Badminton Championships, 17-year-old Jiaxing-born national badminton player Zhang Zhijie suffered an accident.

According to a statement from the Badminton Asia Confederation and the Indonesian Badminton Association on July 1, local time, Zhang Zhijie suddenly fainted on the court during the match on June 30 and was taken to the hospital, where he died at 23:20 local time on June 30. “Zhang Zhijie fainted during the group match against the Japanese team, and the tournament doctor and medical team rescued him. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance in less than two minutes.”

The Badminton Asia Confederation, the Indonesian Badminton Association and the organizing committee expressed deep sorrow and extended their deepest condolences to Zhang Zhijie’s parents, family and the Chinese Badminton Association. The statement also mentioned that “the world badminton has lost a talented player.”

On July 1, the website of the Chinese Badminton Association published an article expressing deep condolences for the unfortunate death of Chinese athlete Zhang Zhijie on the field. The article stated that Zhang Zhijie suddenly fainted on the field during the last match of the group stage of the team competition. The Chinese team leader, coach, team doctor, translator and other medical staff of the organizing committee immediately organized rescue and sent him to the hospital in time. During the time of being sent to the hospital and the rescue in the hospital, the Chinese team leader and other relevant staff stayed with Zhang Zhijie, and the Chinese embassy and consulate in Indonesia also provided full assistance. “We are deeply saddened by the unfortunate death of Zhang Zhijie due to a sudden illness while competing in an international arena. We sincerely thank all sectors of society for their concern and help for Zhang Zhijie. We will do our best to provide assistance to Zhang Zhijie’s family and do a good job in all follow-up work.”

As of press time, the local hospital has not yet determined the cause of the disease.

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson responded to questions about this matter

Badminton Asia Federation organized a moment of silence for those present

Yesterday, the relevant person in charge of Zhejiang Sports Vocational and Technical College was expediting the visa application to Indonesia. The Jiaxing Sports Bureau also said that it had assisted the family in handling matters related to going abroad.

According to CCTV, yesterday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning hosted a regular press conference. A reporter asked about the death of 17-year-old Chinese badminton player Zhang Zhijie after participating in a competition in Indonesia. Mao Ning replied: “We have also heard about this unfortunate news. After learning about the incident, the Chinese Consulate General in Surabaya immediately contacted and coordinated with the Indonesian side to provide full treatment and sent relevant personnel to the scene to carry out work. We express our deep regret and condolences for the unfortunate death of the person concerned, and express our condolences to his family. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to guide the Consulate General in Surabaya to do a good job in follow-up work within the scope of its duties.”

Before the start of the Badminton Asian Youth Championship team competition on July 1, the Badminton Asia Confederation organized all those present to observe a moment of silence for the young Chinese badminton player Zhang Zhijie who unfortunately passed away.

What caused Zhang Zhijie’s death?

Cardiologist:

The symptoms after falling to the ground are very similar to sudden cardiac death

Chief physician Tang Yimin, deputy director of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Zhejiang Hospital, said that based on their hospital’s previous clinical experience, one of the possible causes of exercise-induced cardiac arrest is Adams-Stokes syndrome, also known as cardiogenic cerebral ischemia syndrome. The most prominent manifestation is a severe lack of blood supply to the brain due to a sharp drop in blood supply to the heart. In mild cases, there is only dizziness and impaired consciousness, while in severe cases, there is a complete loss of consciousness, often accompanied by convulsions, incontinence, pale complexion, and then cyanosis.

Tang Yimin said: “Most sudden cardiac deaths are caused by cardiac emergencies that induce malignant arrhythmias and lead to cardiac arrest. Due to excessive sweating during the game, a large amount of electrolytes are lost, and the body’s potassium and sodium ions are taken away, which may cause hypokalemia. Once a myocardial infarction patient is combined with hypokalemia, it is very easy to induce malignant arrhythmias such as ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation, resulting in a sharp decrease in the heart’s blood supply capacity, or even cardiac arrest, which is called cardiac arrest. If rescue is not timely, sudden cardiac death will occur.”

Wang Lihong, chief physician and director of the Department of Cardiology at Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, analyzed that according to the on-site video, Zhang Zhijie’s condition was more like sudden cardiac death. “The sudden death of this young player is really regrettable. Since we don’t know his specific physical condition and whether he had any underlying diseases, we can’t rashly speculate on the cause of sudden cardiac death. According to our previous clinical practice, generally speaking, sudden death during strenuous exercise such as playing badminton and running marathons is usually caused by hypokalemia.”

Wang Lihong explained that during strenuous exercise, a lot of sweating occurs, and as the sweat is discharged, a large amount of electrolytes are lost, leading to low potassium and low magnesium, which in turn causes unstable cardiac electrical activity. At this time, the human sympathetic nerves are already in an extremely excited state, which can easily lead to myocardial ischemia and hypoxia. The combination of various factors can lead to accidents.

Source: Metropolis Express Author: Reporter Wu Shuang, Zhang Huili, Jin Jing, Mao Di Correspondent Guo Jun, Yang Tao Yu Editor: Gao Tingting

2024-07-02 02:02:19
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