Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) Information for Athletic Directors and Coaches
Catastrophic injuries can occur and you can respond:
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During any physical activity, at any age—not just with athletes
At any level of participation
During team and individual practices, as well as at games
Unpredictably and without warning
They are Low Incidence, but High Risk
SCA is the leading cause of death in young athletes: 1,000-7,000 children, adolescents and
young adults each year
Early recognition is critical. Sudden unresponsiveness means sudden cardiac arrest until
proven otherwise with AED
An SCA may look like a seizure in the beginning
Anyone who is unresponsive and not breathing normally, needs CPR and the AED
Should be handled by the best trained personnel available—and you cannot wait for EMS
to arrive
Average EMS response time is 6-12 min. The brain can only wait 3-5 min.
Training in CPR and on-site AED programs are likely the only means of achieving early
defibrillation and improving survival from sudden cardiac arrest in athletes
Any adult (or teen) witnessed arrest, can be treated with Hands Only CPR until the AED
arrives:
o Send someone to call 911
o Start continuous chest compressions, hard and fast, in the center of the chest, 2
inches down, and to the beat of “Stayin Alive” (rate of 100/min)
o Rationale: the victim you observe go down was breathing just before collapsing, so
does not need breathing assistance for several minutes—just great compressions.
The single greatest factor affecting survival is the time interval from arrest to
defibrillation. So recognition of the emergency is critical. Target goal: under 5 minutes
from collapse to first shock (and effective CPR immediately and until AED arrives).
Survival rates decrease by 10% with each minute of delayed response
In a recent national survey of 36 SCA events in high schools, 97% SCA events were
witnessed, 94% received bystander CPR, the AED deployed a shock in 83% (12 required
multiple shocks), 67% of those victims survived!
As of June 2010, at least 22 lives have been saved in Georgia schools after a sudden
cardiac arrest. Ten students and twelve adults are alive today because their schools
were prepared and practiced for this emergency, where school personnel provided CPR
and used the school’s AED.
Emergency Action Plans for Sports
Goal: To provide the highest possible quality health care to athlete and others (not just for
cardiac emergencies, but more commonly for fractures, spine injuries, heat injuries, asthma and
allergic reactions
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Develop in consult with local EMS, administration, school health personnel
Should be venue-specific (i.e. how would you communicate and/or retrieve AED from any
practice field or game site?)
Communication
o access to phone and back-up communication
o 911 availability—know where the call goes (is nearest cell tower in next county?)
o clearly communicate to EMS “victim is unconscious and not breathing”
Personnel: Identify first responders and keep training current. Consider training all
coaches in CPR/AED
Educate all members of emergency response team in:
o recognition of emergency
o CPR, AED, First Aid
o disease prevention
o the Emergency Action Plan
Roles: immediate care of victim (CPR if needed), emergency equipment retrieval,
activation of EMS, direction of EMS to scene
Other roles: crowd control, attention to other students, contacting parents (are
emergency numbers with you?), get medical records of athlete
Emergency equipment should be on site, easily accessible, in good operating condition,
checked at least monthly for pad dates, battery life (See AED Maintenance Checklist at
www.choa.org/projectsave )
Build quality into your plan by reviewing regularly and rehearsing the plan with an AED
practice drill, annually or before every season (See a template and checklist for practice
drill at website listed above).
Communicate the plan to parents and athletes
NATA Position Statement (March 2002) see complete statement at www.nata.org )
1. All personnel involved with the organization or sponsorship of athletic activities share a
professional responsibility to provide for the emergency care of an injured person.
2. Must have a written emergency plan, accounting for athletes, game officials, fans, sideline
participants. (comprehensive, practical, flexible)
3. All personnel share a legal duty to develop, implement and evaluate emergency plans for all
sponsored athletic activities.
These emergencies are always devastating to the school community. Awareness, planning,
education and advocacy can and will save lives. For assistance with your planning, contact
Alison Ellison, Project S.A.V.E. Coordinator at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Ph 404-785-7201, alison.ellison@choa.org .