MANKATO, Minn. -- At times it looked to doctors like Korey
Stringer's condition was improving. But something always happened
to make them worse.
As an ambulance rushed the Minnesota Vikings' 335-pound right
tackle to the hospital on Tuesday, physicians weren't able to get a
blood pressure. Nor was Stringer conscious. Doctors quickly saw he
was in shock and showing obvious heatstroke symptoms. His
temperature was a frightening 108.8 Fahrenheit.
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Trust fund for Kodie Stringer
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The NFL Players Association will create a
trust fund to help pay for the education and living expenses of
Kodie Stringer, the 3-year-old son of Minnesota Vikings lineman Korey Stringer, who died Wednesday from heatstroke complications.
The union has created similar trust funds for the surviving
children of players who died while still active in the NFL,
including San Diego running back Rodney Culver, Kansas City running
back Joe Delaney and Miami linebacker Larry Gordon.
"The trust we have created will hopefully provide some support
to Kodie in trying to cope with the terrible loss of his father.
Our prayers are with Kodie, Korey's wife, Kelci, and the rest of
the family," said Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFLPA.
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"When the temperature is that high, there is an 80 percent
mortality rate," said Dr. David Knowles, a Mankato physician who
coordinates Vikings medical care when the team is at training camp
here.
The first plan was to bring Stringer's body temperature down. He
was dipped into tubs of icy water. Towels were dipped in the water
and then draped over his body and wadded up and tucked under places
like his armpits.
As the day moved on, as many as 15 physicians -- including
cardiologists, a pulmonologist, a critical-care physician and a
kidney specialist -- were working on Stringer, Knowles said.
The Pro-Bowl offensive tackle appeared to make progress, but during the evening
he developed a heatstroke-related bleeding condition that prevents
the blood from clotting, Knowles said.
Stringer began to bleed from his orifices and from the places
where needles were. He responded well to treatment for the
condition, but then his kidneys began to fail.
He was put on dialysis twice and physicians once again felt he
was making progress. But then it was if his organs began to give
up, Knowles said.
He needed help breathing and was put on a respirator. And then
at 10 p.m., his heart began to fail.
"We thought we had turned a corner, but then his heart gave out
and there was nothing we could do," Knowles said.
Stringer was pronounced dead at 1:50 a.m.
"The people at the hospital, they did the most unbelievable job
to try to recapture his life," Vikings receiver Cris Carter said
at a news conference Wednesday. "There are just certain forces in
nature you just can't change."
Experts said Stringer's size worked against him. His body
generated tremendous amounts of heat, Robert Serfass, a
kinesiologist at the University of Minnesota, said. Seventy-five to
80 percent of the energy produced by Stringer's workout would have
turned into heat, which had nowhere to go.
And it was unlikely he could have drank enough to replace the
liters of water he lost through sweat.
Knowles defended the team's decision to allow Stringer to
practice Tuesday even though Stringer was held out of practice
Monday afternoon because of the stifling heat.
"Before people rush to judgment on this, I hope they realize
that we've had countless cases of players suffering heat cramps or
heat exhaustion one day then performing well and with no adverse
effects the next," he said.
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