With the new school year just around the corner, local schools are busy installing automated external defibrillators (AEDs) as required by a new state law and must be completed by October 24.

The law also applies to sports venues, including local recreation centers and professional sports stadiums such as Progressive Field and Browns Stadium.

At least one AED will be required to be installed in every school and every sports and recreation center in the state. The Ohio Department of Health will also be required to develop a model emergency plan for the use of AEDs. Schools will be required to adopt their own emergency plan and practice it regularly.

“I think the most important part of this law is the requirement for an emergency preparedness plan that has to be practiced and updated annually,” said Dr. Robert Flannery, a sports medicine physician at University Hospitals and physician for the Cleveland Browns. “As much as we want to believe we’re up to the task if an event like this occurs, the truth is you have to face your preparation.”

The goal is to ensure that an AED can be placed at each sports venue within three minutes of the farthest point of that venue, Flannery said, because time is of the essence in a cardiac arrest.

How to use an AED

Cardiac arrests don’t always occur the way they’re portrayed on television and in movies, Flannery said, adding that they’re often overlooked in young athletes who are considered active and healthy.

If someone collapses, Flannery advises checking their pulse and breathing.

“If If you have any questions about whether or not to start CPR, give strong, quick compressions to the center of the chest,” he said. “If someone doesn’t need CPR, they’ll tell you very quickly. They’ll talk you out of it.”

An AED works by delivering an electrical shock to help an out-of-rhythm heart get back into rhythm, Flannery said. A computer in the AED decides whether a shock is advisable.

“These are really amazing little machines,” Flannery said. “They do everything they need to do and then every two minutes or so they tell you to re-analyze the rhythm to see if another shock is needed. It can really be life-saving.”

David Becker

/

Related Press

The first step in using an AED is to make sure it’s safe to use, Flannery said. The next step is to begin CPR while someone else gets the AED and calls 911.

Once the AED is in hand, opened and turned on, the device instructs the user to place the pads on the victim.

“There are pictures on the pads that show exactly where to put them. You stick the pads on the victim and then don’t touch the patient,” he said.

The device analyzes the patient’s heart rhythm and tells the user if a shock is recommended. If so, the user should make sure no one is touching the patient and then press the button that will deliver the shock.

After the shock, cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be resumed at a rapid rate of about 100 to 120 beats per minute, Flannery said.

“That’s about as fast as the beat of ‘Stayin’ Alive,’ so you can sing that in your head and squeeze fast and hard so your chest retracts completely. Do that for two minutes,” Flannery explained.

The AED then analyzes the patient’s heart rhythm again and determines whether another shock is advisable.

“If at any time you feel a pulse again, stop,” Flannery said.

From the NFL to high schools in northeast Ohio

According to the American Heart Association, nine out of ten people who die after sudden cardiac arrest could have been saved by the use of an AED or other device.

For every minute that a person suffers cardiac arrest without help, their chance of survival drops by about 10 percent. The average time from collapse to the arrival of emergency services is about seven minutes, Flannery added.

That’s why University Hospitals created the AED in 3 program, working with high schools in northeast Ohio to test their facilities with a drill to determine if an AED would be on the field or court within three minutes in the event of a heart attack. Schools that don’t meet the three-minute time limit receive additional training and defibrillators at no cost.

The law was first introduced in February 2023, just over a month after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest during a Monday Night Football game in Cincinnati, drawing national attention to cardiac incidents.

That event was the catalyst for implementing the law, Flannery said. He also advises more than 60 high schools in Northeast Ohio on developing emergency plans for their athletic staff.

Flannery said he had not observed an increase in the number of cardiac arrests in recent years, but certain cases had attracted greater attention.

“We haven’t seen a huge increase in numbers, but I think awareness has increased significantly because we’ve seen more high-profile athletes, be it Hamlin or Bronny James,” he said.

Bronny James, son of Lebron James, suffered a cardiac arrest in July 2023 due to a congenital heart defect. He recovered and has since been drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Hamlin remains active on the Bills roster.