Oct 2006
Press Release. Concerning school preparedness for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in children and teens; new National
Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) recommendations for all schools.
Making great strides in safety for youth are the new NATA recommendations for emergency preparedness and management of
sudden cardiac events in high school and college athletic programs (NATA Press release attached). These are steps which, when
taken by the school team of medical and emergency planning, will save lives. Emergency preparedness procedures are not
expensive, and do not take great lengths of time. They do take coordination, planning, and practice. They require that people
recognize when a collapse occurs and treat each as a SCA immediately. The interval of “Drop to Shock” should ideally be less
than 3 minutes from any point in the school building and grounds. This means that although an AED may already be placed in the
school lobby, it must go out to the fields, or a second one must be obtained for after-school co-curricular activities. High-risk
areas for cardiac problems are: soccer, basketball, football, track, cross country, baseball, and lacrosse.
Since 2003, Maine has lost the lives of active young students from the towns of Houlton, Madawaska, Winterport, Belfast,
Bucksport, Cherryfield, and others. They died unexpectedly of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), during or soon after exercise. They
had no known symptoms and no known cardiac risk. They leave behind dozens of the thousands of bereaved parents and
siblings who endure the sudden death of a child or teen nationwide each year.
Joseph at age 14 was one of those bright-eyed exuberant and beloved teens, admired and loved by his friends, family, and
teachers. He dove into books throughout his life, worked hard in school, played hard with fellow runners and buddies, and
worked as soon as he turned 12, ever enthusiastic for the next stage of life that would bring him more opportunity to explore a
complex and fascinating world. His goals were simple: to enjoy life; to laugh; to examine, discuss, build and find remedies to
human problems. Joseph, always a smile on his face and full of linguistic and visual antics to bring a smile to everyone else’s
faces, just began his growth spurt and reached 5’7”, 102 lbs. at his 14th birthday on September 7, 2003. His shoulders were a
little broader each day, the fuzz on his lip a little darker. He ran the Maine 2003 XC Festival of Champions on Oct 4th, a week
before he was to run his favorite, the Belfast community 5k Pancake Race. Half way through his race of 160 teens, he lay down
in the grass and was never seen alive again. The school has since, adopted an emergency and communications plan, and
accepted an AED. His team wore a yellow ribbon and his number all season, and ran the Pancake race for Joe.
Joseph had no known cardiac condition, no family history of heart disease, and no structural heart defect. But, as we learned,
cardiac arrest can and does happen to anyone, at any age, even to the most fit. In fact, SCA is more common in young athletes
than in non-athletes, and is the leading cause of death in young athletes. During adolescence, hormonal changes, extreme
exertion, and other stressors such as cold, fatique, and viral infections can trigger cardiac arrhythmias.
These are some of the reasons for every school in Maine and the country to have an AED Program as well as a comprehensive
Pre-Participation health form (PPE), as recommended by AHA, AAFP, and now urged by the Maine Principals’ Assoc.. We
cannot bear to see another girl or boy die suddenly and their family torn to pieces, when such events can often be prevented.
The national Parent Heart Watch works to educate and advocate for such improvements, and for cardiac screening in athletes.
We are comprised of hundreds of parents who have lost the life of a beloved child to cardiac arrest. To help prevent sudden
death in youth an AED program should be implemented wherever sports are played and large numbers of the community
aggregate. Now that AEDs have been in public places for several years, lives HAVE been saved in schools, airports, and business
venues. AEDs are designed to be used by first-responders, bystanders. Easy access to the AED and prompt CPR/ AED are key
to the “chain of survival”.
Maine Medical Center’s OneSave program promotes and educates the following:: 1. early recognition of an emergency and call
to EMS; 2. Early CPR; 3. early defibrillation; 4. early advanced medical care. The chance of survival decreases by about 10% for
every minute that defibrillation is delayed. The response time for an EMS medic to arrive at a scene of collapse is typically 8-10
minutes, or in rural communities often longer. If defibrillation is given within 3-5 minutes, the chance of survival can be as high
as 70%. After 8-10 minutes, only 5%. An AED costs about $1500. Usually local EMS personnel will train school groups for free
or low cost. Training a group in CPR/AED takes 6-8 hrs . We need to prepare all citizens for responsible reactions to life-
threatening events. Cardiac arrest strikes approximately 350,000 persons annually, and the chance of witnessing such an attack
during one’s lifetime is far from remote.
Benefits beyond the obvious ones to survivors of SCA are those that will grace the coaches, teachers, and teens who train in
CPR/AED and may be called upon to use those skills to save a life. This is real, this need to be aware of fellow humans, to help
when help is critical, to use our own judgement and reasoning to give life to another. Young people have a thirst to find purpose
and use their abilities to make a difference in their world. They want and need opportunity to do so.
Many schools in Maine and across the Northeast have responded to cardiac risk in youth with concern and expertise. School
nurses and athletic trainers prepare emergency training and AED protocols; administrators support increased numbers of in-
service hours for CPR/AED classes; staff and entire school communities dedicate themselves to the assessment of safety in our
sports programs.
Any school in Maine that implements an AED program this year and provides CPR/AED training opportunities for staff and
students may request a free AED, donated by the Joseph Foundation, a member of national organization Parent Heart Watch).
This can be requested even if the school already has an AED and needs another for the athletic fields.
Contact: Joseph Foundation
PO Box 950
Belfast, ME 04915
Mail@safeathletes.org
Causes of Sudden Cardiac Death in Children and Adolescents **
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)
Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP)
Congenital coronary artery anomalies
ARVD and/or dilated cardiomyopathy
Long QT syndrome
Marfan syndrome or WPW
Commotio cordis
** Adapted from Stuart Berger, M.D., Heart Center,
Childrens Hospital of Wisconsin