Paul Bateman, president of SafetyNet of Florida, a company that provides CPR and First Aid training throughout North and Central Florida, warns of increased chances of young athletes of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) during football practice and games.
Citing information from The Sports Institute of the University of Washington College of Medicine, Bateman reports that about one or two in every 100,000 young athletes experience sudden cardiac arrest each year. Most victims are males and more than half are African American. Plus more than two-thirds of the athletes who died from SCA are football and basketball players.
SCA is not the same as a heart attack. It is the result of a structural or electrical disorder in the heart that can lead to potentially lethal arrhythmia. The first sign is usually a collapse during a practice or game.
During games and practices, schools need to have an action plan in order to take precautions to minimize the risk of death. SafetyNet offers a 5-point plan every school should use.
1) Know the location of AEDs (automated external defibrillator) near the games fields;
2) Make sure you are in a cell area where you can call 9-1-1;
3) Make sure trainers and coaches are trained in CPR and AED use;
4) Know the emergency routes to the game field;
5) Designate staff members to meet and direct emergency responders and to stay with the athlete even to the hospital in case a parent is not president.
Bateman, former Battalion Chief for the Putnam County Fire Department, is the founder and president of SafetyNet. His company provides all levels of CPR and AED training to Florida businesses, manufacturers, the medical profession and to schools and organizations. For more information, visit SafetyNetFlorida.com.
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