A teenager from Oklahoma is grateful to be alive days after suffering from a traumatic cardiac arrest when one of his family's horses kicked him in the chest.
Dalton Bruton, 16, is used to caring for horses, having lived all his life around these animals on their farm. He was helping to prepare around 50 horses for a virus check when the accident happened.
According to KFOR, one of the horses became uncontrollable and pounced on the teenager on the chest. The horse appeared to be enraged that his foot landed exactly on Bruton's heart. The boy felt the wind knocking him over.
The teenager said that he was not aware that the horse's kick caused severe bruising and bleeding on his heart until he was getting assessed by the medical experts. When he was flown to the Wesley Children's Hospital, the doctors determined that the needed surgery right away to remove over 300 milliliters of fluid that was filling up his heart. Doctors also determined that he had cardiac tamponade, which was making his blood pressure drop to worrying levels.
"I'm not going to die today..."
Bruton recalls that he kept muttering, "I'm not going to die today..." as he was transported to the hospital. Because he was determined to stay alive despite the traumatic cardiac arrest, Bruton was able to get up from his hospital bed two days after having the procedure. It was not what the doctors expected.
Mom Deni Bruton said that the doctors were not initially hopeful about her son's condition. According to People, the family was told "several times" that the 16-year-old might not make it out alive.
In fact, cardiac tamponade has a high mortality rate at over 75 percent. Deni even wrote in a Facebook post that they were not expecting a happy ending after this accident.
Defying the odds, doctors expect the teenager to make a full recovery. Deni said that her son's recovery will be long and hard and he will have to stay off the horse's stable for some time but they are happy to have her son back home, ready to regain his strength and endurance.
Screen Kids for Cardiac Arrest Risks
While the Oklahoma teenager's cardiac arrest was a result of a trauma, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended screening children for conditions that may lead to cardiac arrest this summer.
According to pediatric cardiologist Dr. Brian Holland, the recommendation is based on data for the last 10 years that estimated 7,000 kids will have an "out-of-hospital cardiac arrest" this year, per KFVS. Some signs of this condition include chest pain, fainting, dizziness and lightheadedness.
The doctor said that screening must be done every three years, especially if the children have risk factors like genetic conditions, lack of exercise, or even too much physical or sports activities. Parents may also consult with heart specialists if their kids have heart issues but they would still like to be active in sports.
