05.04.2025 16:12
Prof. Dr. Celalettin Kocatürk, who performed the first intervention on Volkan Konak, who passed away from a heart attack at the hotel where he was performing in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, was a guest on tv100. Kocatürk made the following statement: "When I went to the stage, Volkan Konak was turned to the side. He was not breathing, and there was no pulse. I immediately started the intervention, clearing the airway, and providing chest compressions and respiratory support. There was absolutely no negligence on the part of the physician."
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The famous artist Volkan Konak, who collapsed during a concert in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and passed away in the hospital he was taken to, was bid farewell on his final journey. Volkan Konak, who died at the age of 58, saddened his fans. That night, Prof. Dr. Celalettin Kocatürk, who was the first to intervene with Volkan Konak, was a guest on tv100 and recounted the events that took place.
"I RUSHED TO THE STAGE IMMEDIATELY"
Kocatürk said, "First of all, I would like to express my condolences to all his fans. We are all very sad. I was in Cyprus to spend the holiday at that hotel. We were sitting at a table a bit far away. I did not see Volkan fall while he was singing. There was a moment of silence. When there was some movement on stage, sometimes, you know, there are people who jump on stage, wanting to hug the artist or take pictures. I thought it was something like that. Shortly after, an announcement came asking if there was a doctor. I rushed to the stage immediately."
"THERE WAS NO PULSE"
When I got there, they had turned the deceased on his side. Because he had vomited a bit. He was turned on his side by the friends there to prevent aspiration. It is correct to turn him on his side initially to ensure that the contents of the stomach and mouth do not enter the lungs during vomiting. At that moment, no signs of life were checked. By the time I got there, there was already a crowd around. I requested to go to the stage. While he was in the lateral position, I turned him back to the supine position to check if he was breathing. He was not breathing, there was no pulse. I checked the inside of his mouth and cleared the debris. Meanwhile, there were concerns that he had a seizure or epilepsy. There was no such finding. The stage colleagues also said that there was no history of such a disease.
"I PERFORMED CPR CONTINUOUSLY"
There were other physician friends there as well. When I saw that there were no signs of respiration and circulation, I confirmed with my colleagues and then started performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions continuously. We checked in between; there are certain rules for that intervention. You do a certain number and then stop to check. You check the inside of the mouth, and if necessary, you turn him back on his side again, but you do not stop the intervention; our goal there is to ensure that the brain is nourished and does not go without oxygen. Of course, we immediately notified the ambulance, and when the ambulance teams arrived, we told them to prepare the angiography lab at the hospital, and that the cardiology, intensive care, and anesthesia equipment needed to come to the emergency immediately before we got to the hospital. Until the ambulance arrived, all the doctor friends there helped. There was an anesthesiologist, an ENT doctor, and another doctor friend with us. We were four doctors. Meanwhile, the health officer of the hotel was also with us.
"WE IMMEDIATELY ESTABLISHED IV ACCESS"
When the ambulance arrived, we immediately established IV access. There are certain medications called adrenaline that facilitate the revival of the heart, and we started administering them. After the ambulance arrived, we intubated him. Intubation means placing a tube into the trachea to deliver air from the balloon to the lungs, ensuring better ventilation of the lungs. Until that time, I was performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The time from when we started the heart-lung resuscitation intervention until the ambulance arrived and we could take him into the ambulance was at least 20-25 minutes. During that time, there were no signs of life.
"THERE WAS NO RHYTHM FINDING"
Since there were no signs of life, we never stopped because it needs to be continued. Is there a shockable rhythm or not? It is not possible to check under those conditions. There was a smart watch there. Under those conditions, we tried to see the rhythm from that smart watch, but there was no rhythm finding there either. The first moment it was suitable to go to the hospital, I got on the stretcher and continued with chest compressions. Our doctor friends continued to provide breaths as we went to the ambulance.
"I PERFORMED CHEST COMPRESSIONS UNTIL THE HOSPITAL"
As I was getting off the stage, my foot got stuck, and I fell. The hotel staff continued CPR without interruption at that moment. We monitored to see if there was a heart rhythm in the ambulance. There was no rhythm. I continued chest compressions without interruption until we reached the hospital. We had already informed the hospital. We told the doctors there that we wanted to help and continue, but they said it was not necessary and that all kinds of specialists and equipment were ready there, and they asked us to step outside. We did not wait in front of the door, thinking we might be needed. Half an hour later, the chief physician came out and said, 'Unfortunately, when you arrived, there were no signs of life. We applied life support for another half hour, but we could not get any response; may he rest in peace.'
"I AM TELLING YOU THIS WITH PERMISSION FROM HIS FAMILY"
I did not want to give any information until yesterday without permission from his family. There were very ruthless criticisms that did not allow his family and fans to mourn. I remained silent because discussing such matters without the family's permission could be more painful. Yesterday, I spoke with his wife, and she gave me permission to share this. That is why I am speaking with you. I have not made any comments either.
"THERE WAS DEFINITELY NO NEGLIGENCE"
It would be extremely unnecessary and wrong to come forward and say that I performed that intervention. I believe we did the best intervention possible there. There was definitely no negligence on the part of a physician or in the intervention.
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