Concerned about the safety of young athletes, members of the American Osteopathic Association's (AOA) House of Delegates voted today to encourage schools to have readily accessible automated external defibrillators (AEDs).
The majority of cases of commotio cordis — a sudden cardiac event occurring after a blow to the chest — happen during youth or high school competitive sports, such as baseball or football. AEDs may help save lives while waiting for emergency personnel to arrive on the scene.
"Unfortunately, there is only a 15% survival rate from a commotio cordis event due to lack of early recognition of the severity of the problem," says Stanley E. Grogg, DO, an AOA board-certified pediatrician and an associate dean of clinical research and a professor of pediatrics at the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tulsa. "The accessibility of an automated external defibrillator at schools and sporting events can buy young athletes time until medical professionals arrive on the scene."
Currently, 13 states, including Illinois, have legislation requiring schools to have these devices. Five states have pending legislation and three states have legislation "encouraging" schools to have an AED.