Tucson Roadrunners Hockey Player Who Survived Sudden Cardiac Arrest Thanks Caregivers

Craig Cunningham calms his mother (left) as Dr. Zain Khalpey (right), with Dr. Reza Movahed, discusses his care after sudden cardiac arrest. [Photo: Mamta Popat/Arizona Daily Star]

In a heartfelt press conference that was his first public appearance after suffering sudden cardiac arrest during a hockey game Nov. 19 at Tucson Arena, Tucson Roadrunners captain Craig Cunningham and his mother thanked caregivers from Banner – University Medical Center and St. Mary’s Hospital yesterday.

Like his initial collapse on the ice, news of his “miraculous” recovery spread around the globe with articles posted from England to Malaysia. Local news media and sports news outlets across the U.S. and Canada (see below) have picked up the story as well, with the Arizona Daily Star leading the way.

You can see video of the press conference in its entirety at this link: https://youtu.be/C84AI3xjfZM

Cunningham, age 26, a Canadian who won a Western Hockey League Memorial Cup with the Vancouver Giants as a rookie in 2007 and was their all-time games played leader, was drafted by the Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League in 2010. Most recently, he played for the Tucson Roadrunners in the American Hockey League under contract with the Arizona Coyotes. This is the Roadrunners inaugural season and the team is currently second (22-13) in the Pacific Division.

Cunningham underwent CPR for more than 85 minutes on the ice after collapsing in a game versus the Manitoba Moose. He was taken by ambulance to St. Mary’s, where he was treated by physicians there and from Banner – UMC before being transferred via advanced emergency life support—extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)—to Banner – UMC Tucson.

Among physicians involved were M. Reza Movahed, MD, PhD, who is a UA Sarver Heart Center member with an affiliation as a UA professor of medicine through the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System, and Zain Khalpey, MD, PhD, an associate professor in the Division of Cardiology, Sarver member and surgical director of the Heart Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support Program at Banner – UMC Tucson and South.

Both Drs. Khalpey and Movahed were at Wednesday’s press conference at Banner – UMC Tucson. Cunningham’s mother thanked them and other caregivers and emergency first responders for their hard work in saving her son. He’ll be moving to a local rehabilitation center to continue his recovery. A return to professional hockey is unlikely, though, and his Wikipedia webpage lists him now as retired.

Not the same as a heart attack, sudden cardiac arrest usually results from an electrical disturbance in which the heart stops beating. It can be caused by coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy (an enlarged heart), Long QT, Brugada or Marfan syndrome, or birth defects. It also is most often fatal. Survival with good neurologic function is 8.3 percent compared to average survival rate of 10.3 percent in out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest.

As it also can affect otherwise seemingly healthy individuals, sudden cardiac arrest has gained in national awareness due to the number of athletes struck down by it in recent years. Click here for recent research on the topic at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson by UA Professor Emeritus and past Chief of Cardiology Frank Marcus, MD, PhD.

IN THE NEWS
The Arizona Daily Star’s coverage of Craig Cunningham’s story follows:

AROUND THE WORLD
For how others covered the story from across the globe, see these links:

ALSO SEE:
"Holiday Miracle on Ice: Tucson Roadrunners Hockey Player Thanks Teams for Saving his Life" | Posted: Dec. 22, 2016
"Tucson Roadrunners Captain Craig Cunningham to Thank Teams That Saved His Life" | Posted: Dec. 20, 2016

—David Mogollón

Release Date: 
12/22/2016 - 11:45am