USU's Danny Berger speaks for first time since cardiac arrest (video)

Utah State basketball player Danny Berger is a busy guy.

In less than 24 hours, and less than four days since his cardiac arrest at practice, Berger was the star of two press conferences. And the junior forward knows he's fortunate, as he expresses thanks to the folks that helped him in the videos.

A story from Friday night's conference is online.

On Saturday, Berger sat down with athletic trainer Mike Williams to talk more about the first response to the incident. His father, Brian Berger, also spoke about the first minutes he found out about his son's condition while driving through the Nevada desert. Other members of the family flew in as quickly as they could.

Some interesting points:

• Dr. Jared Bunch, a heart specialist who helped treat Berger at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, is a Logan native and self-described lifelong Aggies fan. Bunch said when he met Stew Morrill, the coach noticed his Utah State lanyard hanging around his neck.

• Mike Williams said he had never had to revive anyone before, though he is trained and experienced with CPR and AED procedure. Williams said he wasn't scared during the procedure, but that afterward when he was trying to make phone calls, his hands were shaking as he tried to dial. Williams noted that he was lucky — and Berger was lucky — the adrenaline didn't kick in right away.

• Berger doesn't remember exactly how his episode happened, but recalled feeling faint and dizzy. He compared the sensation to getting out of bed too quickly and feeling woozy. Williams said he noticed that Berger was gasping for air before he fell, almost as if he was choking.

• Both medical professionals extolled the virtues of the Automated External Defibrillator, the device that saved Berger's life. The machine has tremendous capabilities, from diagnosing Berger's condition, to shocking him, to later being able to relay information of the episode to doctors in Murray. The machine also issues an alert when its battery is low — six months before it dies. Williams said he is pushing to get more of his staff trained with how to use an AED. Bunch said he hoped the incident would show people how much it matters to have an AED in public buildings where such attacks can occur.

— Kyle Goon

kgoon@sltrib.com

Twitter: @kylegoon