Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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.