Our Athletic Trainer ‘Superheroes’ save lives

On Friday, October 16, 2020, Orthopedic ONE Athletic Trainer Nikki Campbell-Muriente arrived for her normal Friday night sports medicine coverage at Resolute Athletic Complex (RAC). There was nothing normal about what occurred next though. Within the first few moments of being on site, Nikki was alerted that someone was having trouble breathing.

Nikki rushed to the turf field where a soccer game was being played when the player went down. Now unresponsive, it was determined that the young athlete experienced a sudden cardiac event, which required Nikki to perform CPR and discharge her AED. While RAC staff called 911, Nikki did everything by the book. The young player, who we later learned was high school age, received one shock from the AED and regained a pulse before EMS arrived and transported him to the hospital.

The EMS captain and attending physician both credit Nikki’s quick actions for saving this young person’s life. For those who do not know Nikki, she has been an Athletic Trainer at Orthopedic ONE since October of 2019, and works at our Westerville Physical Therapy location, in addition to providing Sports Medicine outreach. Nikki played college basketball while majoring in Athletic Training, and you have to assume her ability to perform under pressure came partially from her time on the court.

This same time last year, her colleague Joe Probert, PT, ATC, responded to a similar situation and was able to save the life of a 38-year-old soccer player who collapsed during a recreational game.

Orthopedic ONE team members serve our patients and community in many ways, but these stories highlight our Patients First mission, shining light on the sports medicine outreach team’s commitment to
preparedness and ongoing training when it means the most.

Who knew that we had two superheroes among us.