Behind the Scenes at Cardiff City FC

Pitch side medical team assisting an injured player at Cardiff city football club. — Lubas Medical pitch side team assisting an injured player at Cardiff City.

How elite players are kept safe

The Medical Team at Cardiff City regularly receive praise & recognition from visiting teams for the quality of their set up.

Here's how Lubas fit in with the team, & how you can prepare in any sport, at any level...

1. The Medical Team

The Lubas pitch side medical team consists of 4 medics & an ambulance crew, all with professional qualifications & trained in Lubas Sports Trauma Management. Our purpose is to support all medical staff & manage any traumatic injuries to players of both teams & officials.

Each member of the team has a specific role in dealing with an injured player depending on the type of injury.

To function safely & efficiently, we work closely with Cardiff City's full time medical staff, led by the team physio & head of medical (Matthew May) and team doctor (Professor Len Noakes).

Everyone understands their role & responsibility within the set up. The visiting medical team are brought up to speed during a pre-match medical meeting before every game. Medical teams clarify the support that's available & the plan in the event of a serious (or multi-player) injury.

It's vital for player safety to run through these plans pre-match so both teams fully understand & clarify the procedures.

2. Planning & Communication

In addition to pre-match briefings, the Cardiff City medical staff & Lubas pitch side team run through monthly practical training together.

We run through various scenarios including spinal injury, lower limb fractures & cardiac arrest. We practice the management of injury & transfer to the medical room.

Scenarios ensure everyone in both the Lubas pitch-side team & Cardiff's medical staff fully understand their role during the management of a serious injury.

There is also a set procedure in place for our ambulance crew to quickly & efficiently transfer a player to hospital in an emergency. This has been utilised on several occasions.

3. Equipment

The Lubas team & the medical staff at Cardiff City work together to ensure all medical equipment required is available & fit for purpose.

There are 3 areas that require fully stocked medical equipment:

Pitchside (both with Cardiff's staff & Lubas team)
On the ambulance (which is equipped to NHS & UEFA standards)
In the medical room at Cardiff City

Individuals from the medical team share responsibility for checking the medical kit.

The kit includes emergency drugs & life saving equipment (such as defibrillators, airways, oxygen, fluids etc) & immediate trauma management kit (Entonox, splints, spinal immobilisation & extraction equipment etc).

The emergency kit must always be available, in the place it's needed, when required. All equipment is regularly checked between games to ensure working order & check expiries & stock levels.

4. Teamwork

Football is a team game both on & off the pitch. We've been very lucky to work within such a supportive & inclusive medical team at Cardiff City.

The team fully understands the importance of both player safety & staff welfare. The camaraderie created at Cardiff City only helps to develop trust & confidence in the medical staff to do their jobs.

There aren't many teams that offer the players, & their families basic first aid training. But we're fortunate to work with a group of players at Cardiff that understand the importance of the medical team.

We provide basic first aid training for players, coaches & their families to help enhance this understanding. This also give them the basic knowledge required if they ever need to deal with an emergency.

The togetherness & family spirit at Cardiff City was truly evident this year. The support shown for team Dr, Professor Len Noakes, in his learn CPR campaign following the tragic death of his daughter, was incredible.

It was a privilege to contribute & take part of the film he created. You can watch it below, but we encourage everyone to watch & share it here: https://www.facebook.com/OnlyTimeBook/

All of these elements are relevant in all sports at all levels. We transfer the same mindset into grassroots, local & amateur sports as we do at elite level.

The key is remembering that player safety is the most important element of pitch side medical care at all levels.

This blog will help you to analyse your own planning, communication, preparation & teamwork skills. Is there anything you can do to improve these skills in your medical team?

If you are qualified in Lubas Sports Trauma Management, FASE 1 or FASE 2, join our "Medics for Sport" Facebook group for jobs, experience & more information.

Wound Management - Questions You Need to Ask

Of all the skills taught on our Wound Management course, wound assessment is among the most important. You can't just scramble onto the pitch and start suturing; you first need to inspect the injury in question, making an informed decision about how best to proceed.

Here are some of the questions you need to ask before commencing wound treatment:

Can I treat the wound here on the field? Our Wound Management course mainly focuses on sports wounds, most of which will be sustained on the field of play. While some cuts can be dealt with straight away, it may not be appropriate to treat a serious wound right there on the turf. Wounds get infected all too easily, and playing fields are hardly the most sanitary of environments!
Which method of wound closure would be most appropriate? There are several different ways to close a wound – sutures, staples, glue – and they’re all useful in different situations. One of the things we explain on the course is how to choose the right method for the right wound and ensure that your patient recovers as quickly as possible.
Does the player need any further treatment? If you’ve ever watched a rugby match on TV, you’ve probably seen someone sustain an injury, receive treatment, and then head straight back out onto the pitch. This is fine in some cases – after all, we don’t want the team to lose their star player if it’s not absolutely necessary – but some injuries will require more extensive treatment. The player may even need to be sent to A&E; making these decisions is a huge part of effective wound management, and we explain it all on the course. Click here for details.

Medical Emergencies – Heart Attacks.

What causes heart attacks?

The British Heart Foundation reports that heart attacks & circulatory diseases account for almost a quarter of all deaths in the UK. This means approximately 1 death every 3 minutes!

Here’s some information that can help you recognise & manage the signs & symptoms of a heart attack.

What is a heart attack?

A heart attack is a blockage to one or more of the main arteries of the heart. This blockage prevents blood & oxygen from reaching the heart & causes death to the muscle tissue.

What causes a heart attack?

Most commonly, a heart attack is caused by a build-up of fatty deposits that stick to the arteries over time. Things like smoking, poor diet/lifestyle, diabetes & high blood pressure increase the deposits. This causes a narrowing, which blocks (or initially reduces) the blood from getting to the heart.

What are the signs & symptoms of a heart attack?

Heart attacks don’t always follow the same pattern of signs & symptoms but here are some of the common ones to look for:

Example of: Severe tightness/pressure in the center of the chest.

Severe tightness/pressure in the center of the chest.
Pain in the center of the chest which spreads to the left arm, neck, back, jaw, shoulder or generally anywhere in the upper torso.
Profuse sweating.
A very pale, almost grey appearance to the casualty’s skin.
Nausea and/or vomiting.
A “sense of impending doom” – severe anxiety.
Shortness of breath/fatigue.
Dizziness.

How to manage a heart attack.

Call 999 as soon as you recognise the symptoms.
Make the casualty as comfortable as possible and reassure them.
If aspirin is available, let the casualty take 300mg.
If they become unconscious and stop breathing, perform CPR.

Remember to: Call 999 as soon as you recognise the symptoms.

Are heart attacks fatal?

A heart attack can be fatal. However, the sooner the signs & symptoms are recognised & the ambulance is called, the higher the chances re of survival. Heart attacks can last longer than half an hour. But the longer the attack goes on without treatment, the more damage is done to the heart.

Are a heart attack and cardiac arrest the same thing?

No. A cardiac arrest is when the heart stops pumping blood around your body. This could, however, be caused by a heart attack.

Conclusion

By understanding and recognising the signs & symptoms of a heart attack, you can arrange an ambulance and potentially prevent the loss of life.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-attack/symptoms-causes/syc-20373106

https://www.healthline.com/health/heart-disease/problems-during-exercise

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heart-attack/