He performed the first intervention on Volkan Konak... Dr. Celalettin Kocatürk recounted that night: Was there negligence?

The 58-year-old famous artist Volkan Konak, who fell ill and collapsed on stage during a concert in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and passed away at the hospital where he was taken, has plunged Turkey into mourning. Konak, remembered by his nickname "Son of the North," was laid to rest with ceremonies held in Istanbul and his hometown of Trabzon.

Prof. Dr. Celalettin Kocatürk, who performed the first intervention on stage that night, explained the moment of the incident and the medical intervention in detail in his statement to tv100.

Stating that he was in the hall during the concert and sitting at a table far from the stage, Kocatürk described the moment of the incident as follows:

“I did not see Volkan fall while singing. There was a silence, and there was movement on stage. At first, I thought someone had climbed onto the stage. Then, an announcement was made asking, ‘Is there a doctor?’ I immediately ran to the stage.”

''HE WAS NOT BREATHING, HIS PULSE WAS NOT BEATING''

Stating that when he reached the stage, Konak was vomiting and in a side position, Kocatürk said this was the correct first intervention to prevent stomach contents from entering the lungs. When he checked his condition, he determined that “he was not breathing, his pulse was not beating”:

“I cleared his mouth. It was asked if he was having an epileptic seizure, but there was no such finding or medical history. I immediately started CPR and artificial respiration.”

''FOUR DOCTORS MOBILIZED ON STAGE''

Stating that there were other doctors on stage besides himself at that moment, Kocatürk expressed that they carried out the intervention together and noted the following:

“We were a total of four doctors, including an anesthesiologist, an ENT specialist, and another colleague. Additionally, the hotel's health officer was with us. The ambulance was called immediately. We also informed the hospital teams that the angiography laboratory, cardiology, and intensive care unit needed to be prepared.”

''THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF LIFE AT ALL''

Stating that no signs of life were observed despite continuous intervention during the time until the ambulance arrived, Kocatürk described the process as follows:

“After we started cardiopulmonary resuscitation, it took 20-25 minutes for the ambulance to arrive and for us to get the patient into the ambulance. At no point during this time were there any signs of pulse or respiration.”

The intervention on Konak continued inside the ambulance as well. The artist was intubated and given drugs such as adrenaline to revive his heart. However, when his heart rhythm was monitored, no electrical activity was detected. “No rhythm could be detected in the ambulance either. But we still never stopped the intervention. At the first moment it was possible to head to the hospital, I got on the stretcher and continued CPR. Other friends provided respiratory support.”

Explaining that they tried every method, Kocatürk said they tried to see the heart rhythm from a smartwatch at the scene, but no activity could be obtained from there either, and he added:

“We thought that watch might work under those conditions. But the rhythm did not appear there either.”