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Carbon dioxide and teenagers with orthostatic problems during a rock concert

2007; Elsevier BV; Volume: 72; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.resuscitation.2006.10.009

1873-1570

Daniel Oberladstätter, Robert Breitkopf, Dietmar Krappinger, Erwin K. Reichel, Volker Wenzel,

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Research

During concerts by pop/rock bands, several thousand fans may be present, and emergency medical services need to be vigilant. During concerts by “Tokio Hotel”, ∼250 fans collapsed and needed to be treated, due to extreme emotions, orthostasis, alcohol consumption, being squeezed in the crowd, or a combination thereof. During a concert by “We Are Heroes” in Innsbruck, CO2 sensors in the concert hall indicated an increase, while ∼15 fans had orthostatic problems within a short time span. Fresh air supply to the concert hall was then turned up to the maximum, the concert was continued, and no further patients needed to be treated. During a subsequent concert by “Tokio Hotel” (∼3000 fans), the correlation analysis was significant (Figure 1) for an increasing amount of patients needed to be treated (total, 120 teenagers), with a increased level of CO2 (range, 500 ppm increasing to 1900 ppm CO2; reflecting a level of subjective discomfort) was measured in the concert hall. Oxygen levels remained at ∼20.9% during the entire concert, and carbon monoxide was always <1 ppm. This is remarkable since this problem was anticipated, with ventilators and fresh air supply being switched to maximum several hours before and during the concert, and the heating system switched off for 5 days (temperature range, 17.5 °C increasing to 19.4 °C). Further, hot tea and blankets were distributed to prevent hypothermia and hypovolaemia to fans who arrived, in part, 14 h before the concert. In conclusion, orthostatic problems in fans attending a pop/rock concert may be due to a combination of well-known effects such as hypovolaemia, extreme emotions, and alcohol consumption, but also neglected factors such as polluted air. Adequate ventilation of the concert hall should be taken into account when preparing for a big event.