Thursday, Aug. 19, 2004 | 9:56 a.m.
Qualified personnel followed the correct procedures when a Chaparral football player suffered heat stroke at a practice last Saturday, according to a HealthSouth spokesman.
Jim Porter, regional outreach coordinator for HealthSouth, the company that provides trainers to high school practices, said that "protocols were followed to the letter" when Otis Pimpleton III fell ill at Saturday's practice.
Pimpleton was released from the Sunrise Hospital Pediatric Intensive Care Unit on Tuesday, but remains hospitalized, still recovering from the heat stroke he suffered Saturday. His father, Otis Pimpleton Jr., said Wednesday that his son's temperature was as high as 103 degrees, a condition his doctors cannot explain.
Pimpleton Jr. said his son's temperature was up to 107.6 degrees when he arrived Saturday night at Sunrise Hospital. He said he thinks Chaparral's coaches should not have waited for his family to pick up Pimpleton III from practice, but should have called for an ambulance, as Pimpleton III was delusional and incoherent.
Porter said that if Pimpleton III was in either state, that's exactly what would have been done.
"If a parent or coach tells us to call an ambulance, we will call an ambulance if the athlete is lucent," he said. "If they're unconscious, it's automatic. Then you have informed consent."
Pimpleton Jr. said he understands HealthSouth's position, and believes the trainer was not made aware that Pimpleton III was suffering as badly as he was.
"His trainer was never called when Otis had this problem," he said. "When Otis passed out, the (trainer) was never called about this," leaving the decision in the hands of Chaparral's coaching staff.
Chaparral coach Fernando Carmona refused comment Wednesday night, and attempts to reach Chaparral administration were unsuccessful.
On Tuesday, though, Carmona did describe his view of what happened.
"At the end of conditioning, he felt bad, went down and threw up," Carmona said. "The trainers took care of him, made sure he was fine, called his parents and they couldn't make it."
Porter said that the coach acts in lieu of parents if they cannot be reached.
"If you have an injured athlete, regardless of their injury, the first effort is to contact their parents or guardian. They're the people that make a responsible choice," he said. "If the parent or guardian cannot be reached, the school district has a document that says the coach can act in the best interest of the athlete."
He also said that trainers are instructed to call 911 immediately if they suspect heat stroke, and that less than two weeks ago, all trainers attended a meeting and tested their ability to diagnose heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.
"Someone in heat stroke that presents the symptoms of heat stroke, it's a medical emergency comparable to cardiac arrest. We call 911 first and then call the parent," Porter said. "We have to get them cooled down, have to get them fluids, and it has to be done ASAP."
Pimpleton III's 18-year-old sister picked him up from Chaparral, and took him home where his mother called an ambulance.
"She (the trainer) was told (by the coaches) that Otis needs a ride home because he passed out at practice," Pimpleton Jr. said. "Otis may have heat exhaustion or whatever, not heat stroke. He may need to be taken to the hospital. If she can tell us that, they (the coaches) should have been aware of that also."
Porter said that Pimpleton III did not collapse until he had been off the field for 40 or 50 minutes, after practice had ended.
Pimpleton Jr. met with Chaparral's principal on Wednesday, and Pimpleton III has been transferred to nearby Del Sol High School. He said if he's medically cleared, he will continue to play football for Del Sol.
Carmona said Tuesday that Pimpleton III had problems passing his physical, according to his father.
"Dad was telling us he had a hard time passing the physical," Carmona said. "Because of his blood pressure, it had to be taken three different times before they finally cleared him of his physical."
Pimpleton Jr. said his son has no blood pressure problems. But Porter said that if an athlete had elevated blood pressure, that could present complications, especially in hot weather.
"One of the reasons a physical is required is to determine whether or not an athlete has preexisting conditions that make them compromised when it comes to managing environmental stress," Porter said. "One of the biggest issues is high blood pressure. It significantly impacts the body's ability to handle heat stress. Someone with high blood pressure is significantly more prone to heat illnesses than someone with normal blood pressure."
Porter also said that parents should not put their kids into football programs to help them lose weight.
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