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Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs)

Preventing Commotio Cordis in Youth Baseball

Young baseball and softball players who receive direct ball impact to the chest wall directly over the heart may develop sudden cardiac arrest, a condition called commotio cordis.  Teaching batters to turn away from an inside pitch, and pitchers to react as quickly as possible to a batted ball hit back at them can help reduce the risk, and an AED and a someone trained in CPR should be on site at all times to increase the chances of survival.

Commotio Cordis: Tragedy on an Arizona Diamond

In early June 2010 tragedy struck a baseball field in Arizona when a 13-year-old Little Leaguer trying to bunt was struck in the chest. He took a few steps towards first base, collapsed, and died the next morning. Getting hit by a pitch is to be expected when playing baseball. Dying is not. What killed the Arizona boy? A rare condition called commotio cordis.

To Nineteen Athletes Dying Young

During the 2003 fall sports season, MomsTeam received numerous e-mails, phone calls and visits with news far exceeding our worst fears about the number of deaths in youth sports.

Automatic External Defibrillators: Tragedy Prompts One Mom's Mission

It was the evening of December 2, 2000. My 15 year-old son, Greg, was playing basketball for Notre Dame High School against cross-town rival East Stroudsburg North High School in rural Pike County, Pennsylvania. It was the very first game in the school's brand new multi-million dollar gymnasium. Befitting the occasion, the game was on local television.

Sample Statement of Need

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is one of the leading causes of death in this country. According to the American Heart Association, SCA claims the lives of over 250,000 people die each year, more than all forms of cancer combined.

Proper AED Placement and Operator with CPR and AED Certification Save Lives

A recent article in The Boca Raton News makes the following important points about improving the odds of survival for athletes who experience sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) by having Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) at every athletic event:

Oversight of AED Program by Medical Director/Physician Essential

Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are manufactured and sold under guidelines issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Current FDA regulations make AEDs, like many drugs, available only to those with a physician's prescription. Simply finding a physician willing to write the necessary prescription, however, is not enough; in order for an AED or Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) program to be safe and effective, the program needs constant oversight by a medical director.

Expert Consensus: AEDs OK for Use On Young Children in Ventricular Fibrillation (VF)

Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) may be used for children 1 to 8 years of age who have no signs of circulation. Ideally the device should deliver a pediatric dose.

Selecting An AED for Community Program

There are many AED products on the market. The "best" AED is the one that is closest in the event of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). No AED has been proven to be scientifically superior to the others and, because of the nature of the product, it is unlikely that there will ever be a Consumer Reports-type rating of these medical devices.

Medical Director Needed For AED Program

Medical directors of AED programs perform a variety of important functions: picking the right AED to purchase, writing the prescription (one is needed for most AEDs), supervising training, developing the rescue protocol,

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