More than 400,000 people die each year of sudden cardiac arrest in the United States. Out of this number, a significant proportion of these deaths are school going children. It is estimated that children account for over 3 percent of all sudden cardiac arrest victims and puts considerable importance on ensuring children have access to AEDs in schools to ensure high survival rates.
Schools, in this regard, can play a vital role in providing children with sufficient access to AEDs in schools. Having such equipment and procedures performed on children can be a quick means of identifying cardiovascular problems and diseases by analyzing the heart’s rhythmical patterns.
It is crucial to know how having the right AED procedures and policies can be critical to ensuring the safety and well being of children.
Reasons Why AEDs Are Important for Schools
School going children are not normally seen as likely candidates for heart problems or failure. However, owing to the fact that a considerable percentage of sudden cardiac arrest victims are children, it is ever more important for school management to ensure that their premises are equipped with up-to-date and advanced AED systems.
A person can become at risk of sudden cardiac arrest during intense physical activities where the heart beat becomes abnormally high that affects the electrical impulses to the brain. Physical activities such as games during lunch break, sports days and tournaments are situations in which children can face such risks. Ensuring AEDs are accessible quickly can be crucial for performing CPR procedure to ensure there are no electrical imbalances in the body.
More importantly, the urgency of having an AED is necessary for saving lives as quickly as possible. In the event of a sudden cardiac arrest, defibrillation needs to be executed within a short time frame of 3-5 minutes. If this time window is crossed, the victim can face brain damage or death.
Schools need to be vigilant in ensuring they provide emergency health procedures, such as AED machines. This will be critical for establishing the credibility and reputation of the school and in advancing the health and safety of children in the US.
How Can Schools Implement An Effective AED Program?
Schools should ensure that their nurses are certified and qualified enough to perform life-saving CPR procedures using AED. They must have sufficient knowledge of all aspects that pertain to the safe and effective usage of AED.
Furthermore, the school needs to ensure that there are enough AEDs in place to provide high accessibility. Since defibrillation needs to be begin in no longer than five minutes, AEDs need to be positioned in strategic locations to avoid wasting critical time searching the device for performing the procedure.
More importantly, schools need to implement an AED program in consultation with EMS providers. Should a child suffer a sudden cardiac arrest, EMS providers must be capable of arriving to the scene in the shortest time possible.
For more information on how AEDs can be of use to your school, please contact AED Market at 1-800-441-8378 or visit our site at aedmarket.com. You can also email us at info@aedmarket.com.