Video: Approach to the Unresponsive Athlete in Cardiac Arrest
In youth sports, sudden cardiac arrest and other medical emergencies can happen in unpredictable ways, such as during collisions or other high-impact scenarios. While CPR and BLS follow standard guidelines, real-world situations often require quick thinking and adaptations to ensure the best possible outcome.
Please take a moment listen to Ev Sugarbaker, medical student at Baylor College of Medicine, discuss essential techniques and considerations for performing CPR in youth sports settings.
Using Data to Save Lives: How Research Guides CPR Education for Youth Sports Programs
At NYSAP AED, we are passionate about equipping youth sports programs with the tools and training necessary to prevent tragic outcomes from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). The paper, Geospatial Analysis for Targeting Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Intervention, published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, sheds light on critical areas where CPR training and AED placement can make the greatest impact.
The study, which focuses on Houston, Texas, examines zip codes with high rates of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and low bystander CPR intervention rates. This granular approach to mapping risk is invaluable for organizations like ours, as it allows us to target resources to areas of greatest need.
Bridging the Gap in High-Risk Areas
By analyzing the paper's findings, we can identify which Houston youth sports programs operate in these high-risk zip codes. This means that our efforts to teach CPR and distribute AEDs won’t just be widespread—they’ll be strategic. With data-driven planning, we can ensure that underserved communities, where bystander CPR is less likely to occur, receive focused attention.
Why Data Matters for CPR Education
Research like this highlights disparities in bystander intervention, often tied to socioeconomic factors, access to training, and community awareness. When we understand where these disparities exist, we can:
Prioritize training in communities most affected by OHCA.
Partner with local organizations already active in these areas.
Evaluate the long-term impact of our training programs using community-specific metrics.
Scaling Impact Through Research Collaboration
Houston is just one example of how we can use research to guide our mission. As we expand our reach, we aim to collaborate with other medical schools and community organizations to replicate this data-driven approach in cities nationwide. By aligning efforts with evidence-based findings, we’re not just teaching skills—we’re creating systemic change to save lives.
Get Involved
If you're in the Houston area and want to bring our training programs to your community, reach out! Together, we can make youth sports safer for every athlete, coach, and family.
Research provides the roadmap, but it’s organizations like NYSAP AED and supporters like you who take action. Let’s transform data into life-saving outcomes!
Source:
Raun LH, Jefferson LS, Persse D, Ensor KB. Geospatial analysis for targeting out-of-hospital cardiac arrest intervention. Am J Prev Med. 2013 Aug;45(2):137-42. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2013.03.013. PMID: 23867019.
NYSAP Begins Chapter at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX
Exciting new development at NYSAP! We have created our first student chapter at Baylor College of Medicine Houston Campus. Our team of motivated medical students are excited to bring NYSAP's message of prehospital cardiac arrest preparedness to the HTX/Harris County area. Please reach out if you are a Houston/Harris County youth sports program in need of free CPR training and/or AEDs!
Commotio Cordis
It all begins with an idea.
Let’s talk about commotio cordis, a cardiac phenomenon that puts young athletes at risk for cardiac arrest and death. This can occur with a sudden blunt impact to the chest in the absence of any cardiac damage. Around 10-20 cases are added to the national Commotio Cordis registry annually, and victims are typically adolescents (mean age = 15 years) and are overwhelmingly male. Baseball is the most common sport in which commotio cordis occurs, with pitchers, catchers, and hitters at highest risk. Other common sports include hockey and softball, with a rising incidence in lacrosse due to its increasing popularity.
Currently, the outcomes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation after a commotio cordis event is very similar to that for CPR in other forms of cardiac arrest. An animal model developed at Tufts Medical Center in the 1990s has shed light on the variables critical to induction of commotio cordis. They anesthetized 20-kg male pigs and used a lacrosse or baseball to strike the left chest wall directly over the cardiac silhouette. These animal studies have found that ventricular fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia causing commotio cordis. They have also found that factors like timing, velocity, and shape of the object are critical to it’s initiation.
On an EKG, only impacts within a narrow region of the upslope of the T-wave (40 ms before the peak to the peak) will cause ventricular fibrillation. Also, impact velocities at 40 mph were most likely to to cause v-fib; impacts at 20 mph never induced v-fib; and impacts 50-70 mph showed a reduced occurrence of v-fib and an increased incidence of cardiac rupture or other major trauma. When it comes to shape, spheres with smaller radii were more likely to induce v-fib.
Commotio cordis is another reason why cardiac arrest is the number one medical killer of young athletes, and it is all the more reason to equip youth fields with AEDs and to provide coaches with CPR education.
Source: Mark S. Link, Commotio Cordis: Ventricular Fibrillation Triggered by Chest Impact-Induced Abnormalities in Repolarization, URL: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/circep.111.962712