Athletic Trainer Helps Save High School Referee with AED

Watch the video of the Athletic Trainer reunited with the referee who's life she helped save on Thursday, February 7th during an exciting overtime Girls' Basketball game at Eastchester High School in NY. Neil Berniker, teacher, coach and high school referee in the Bronx, suddenly collapsed and hit the floor while officiating the game. Jason Karol, the school's Athletic Director, along with Ellen Bastoni, the school's Certified Athletic Trainer, came to his rescue.

"As soon as I ran over, I saw he wasn't breathing and I yelled to call 911," Karol said. "I told the [athletic] trainer to get the AED because he was gasping for air but he wasn't breathing." Karol, a first year athletic director, began CPR until Bastoni returned with the LIFEPAK 500 AED (Automated External Defibrillator).

Once the AED was connected to the referee, it advised a shock. Incredibly, through the efforts of Karol, Bastoni and a parent bystander, Berniker was successfully revived in front of the 200 people watching solemnly from the stands. "We saw his eyes open and he started breathing again," Karol said. "He was confused and I just held his hand until the EMT's got there. He didn't know what happened."

Once EMT's arrived, Berniker was put on oxygen and transported to the intensive care unit. It was reported that he is recovering well, and that he was up and walking and making jokes by the next day.

Eastchester has 23 AEDs located strategically throughout their buildings. Interestingly, the week before the referee collapsed during the basketball game, the placement of the AEDs was reviewed and the one used to save Berniker's life was placed in a more accessible location in the gym so that it could be utilized after normal school hours.

Sports Health is a leading provider of AEDs to schools and athletic organizations across the country. The AED Program at Eastchester High School was implemented with the help of a School Health/Sports Health Representative. If you would like more information, please contact us and one of our knowledgeable representatives will get in touch with you.

Request an AED Consultation and Download "The 10 Common Mistakes Made By School AED Programs">>

Video courtesy of Lohud.com

The ABC's of AEDs

An automated external defibrillator or AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the potentially life threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia in patients and is able to treat them through defibrillation, the application of electrical therapy which stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to reestablish an effective rhythm. As reported in USA Today, November 12, 2003 a National Institute of Health showed defibrillators can double the survival rates of sudden cardiac arrest. It is estimated that 350,000 people die annually due to sudden cardiac arrest and that in ages 15-34 the incidence has risen 10% in the last decade. (Read more about sudden cardiac arrest and high school athletes here).

The first AEDwas originally designed and created by American biomedical engineer Joshua L. Koelker and Italian emergency medical professional Jordan M. Blondino to allow defibrillation in common public places. AEDs are designed to be simple to use for the layman, and the use of AEDs is taught in many first aid, first responder, and basic life support (BLS) level CPR classes in schools.

Conditions that the Device Treats

An automated external defibrillator is used in cases of life threatening cardiac arrhythmias which lead to cardiac arrest. The rhythms that the device will treat are usually limited to:

1. Pulseless Ventricular tachycardia
2. Ventricular fibrillation

In each of these two types of shockable cardiac arrhythmia, the heart is active, but in a life-threatening, dysfunctional pattern. In ventricular tachycardia, the heart beats too fast to effectively pump blood. Ultimately, ventricular tachycardia leads to ventricular fibrillation. In ventricular fibrillation, the electrical activity of the heart becomes chaotic, preventing the ventricle from effectively pumping blood. The fibrillation in the heart decreases over time, and will eventually reach asystole.
AEDs will not start a stopped heart, that is, it will not be effective in a coronary attack.  Its purpose is to counter a “fluttering” (fibrillation) of the heart muscle before it goes into cardiac arrest. The asystolic patient only has a chance of survival if, through a combination of CPR and cardiac stimulant drugs, one of the shockable rhythms can be established, which makes it imperative for CPR to be carried out prior to the arrival of a defibrillator. Estimates are that CPR alone is only 6-8% effective but CPR plus the use of an AED within 6 minutes is 80% effective.

The American Heart Association recommends automated external defibrillators in any place where there are large numbers of people. This includes airports, stadiums, large offices or industrial buildings, public buildings and large fitness centers, for example. 

Read more: American Heart Association Defibrillation Guidelines | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/way_5577375_american-heart-association-defibrillation-guidelines.html#ixzz1NQ2GEXt1
Several states require scholastic coaches to be certified in first aid and CPR/AED usage. In 2010, the American Heart Association (AHA) released their updated guidelines for treating sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and heart attacks.The purchasing and placement of AEDs at schools and during athletic events is both critical and legally prudent.  The American Heart Association recommendation is that an AED should be within a 2-minute walk from anywhere on school grounds/building.

Implement a School AED Program

While emergency response plans should be developed by both physical education and athletic departments, so too should be annual “simulated episodes” requiring staff to respond to various scenarios and in various locations on school grounds.

Request a free AED consultation and download the 10 common mistakes made by school AED programs >>

For additional information about AED usage and programs implementation go http://www.quickmedical.com/defibrillator/aha.html and Project ADAM at http://www.chw.org/display/PPF/DocID/26050/router.asp.

Why Heart Failure Can't Always Be Detected in the High School Athlete

Understand and Prepare for Sudden Cardiac Arrest Before An Emergency Occurs

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is caused by sudden failure of proper heart function during or immediately following exercise. This often occurs with no known trauma. Since the heart loses its ability to effectively pump blood, the athlete quickly loses consciousness and will die. To stop this tragic cascade of events, normal rhythmical pumping of the cardiac muscle must be quickly restored using an automated external defibrillator (AED).

How Often Does SCA Occur and Who is Most at Risk?

Fortunately this tragic event is considered rare, happening about 100 reported times per year in the United States. The chances of a high school athlete suffering frame SCA is reported to be 1:200,000. SCA is more common in males, football, swimming and basketball and in African-Americans than in other races.

Heart Problems Are Difficult to Detect in High School Athletes

Typically, the athlete presents no symptoms of cardiac problems. The problem is caused by one or several cardiovascular abnormalities and electrical diseases of the heart that go unnoticed in healthy-appearing athletes. The most common cause is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) which is an enlargement (hypertropci) of the heart muscle (myopathy) producing a thickening of the heart muscle which can cause serious heart rhythm problems and blockages to blood flow. The second cause is congenital abnormalities of the coronary arteries.

Warning signs to watch for include:

• Fainting, seizure or convulsions during physical activity
• Fainting or seizure from emotional stress or excitement
• Dizziness during exercise
• Chest pains at rest or during exercise
• Heart palpitations (skipping beats, irregular beats) during exercise or cool down periods after exercise
• Fatigue or tiring more quickly than others or than expected
• Shortness of breath limiting physical exertion

What steps can be taken to prevent tragedy during the annual pre-participation examination?

1. Parents and athletes should provide information to the examining physician about any experience with the signs and symptoms listed.
2. History of family members who died suddenly during or after exercise.
3. Any family member under the age of 50 experiencing sudden death in car accidents or drownings (unexplained heart stoppage may produce fainting or death an inopportune times).

Is There Any Tests That Can Detect These Heart Conditions?

Dr. Mark Russell, a pediatric cardiologist at the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, said no one screening test is able to detect the "several different heart conditions that can cause sudden death in a young athlete." EKGs may catch some defects, the echo others, while other problems may only be revealed in an exercise stress test.

How Can I Protect My Athletes?

Since detection can be elusive, consider the places where your athlete engages in activity - the swimming pool, the field, the gym, the weight room, the visitor's field - and consider having an AED available in these places to protect from the unexpected.

Find information on the AEDs available on the market today and request a FREE AED consultation >>

More blogs on the use of AEDs in schools >>

Articles That Make the Case for Placing AEDs in Schools:

Portable Defibrillator Helps Save Christian School Coach’s Life >>

Medical: Sudden Cardiac Arrests in Young Athletes Confounds >>

Additional Resources:

• www.suddendeathathletes.org
• www.4hcm.org
• www.heart.org

Phil Hossler, ATC has been an athletic trainer on the scholastic, collegiate and Olympic levels. He has authored 4 books and numerous articles and served as an officer in state and regional athletic training associations for 20 years. He is a member of four halls of fame including the National Athletic Trainers’ Association’s.