On August 15^th, St. Mary’s Health presented the Cottonwood Youth Sports Organization with a portable automated external defibrillator (AED)
In the United States, a young athlete dies suddenly every three days. Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is the leading cause of death among these students, and athletes are more than twice as likely to experience SCA than young non-athletes. Two-thirds of the deaths caused by SCA in children occur during exercise or activity. When seconds matter, these lifesaving devices are critically important. The American College of Cardiology notes the “The most important contributing factor for survival of sudden cardiac arrest is the time from collapse to defibrillation. Survival decreases 10% every minute until a shock is applied.”
AED’s are effective and easy to use, even without any CPR or AED training. By following the AED’s simple, clear audio or video prompts, even an untrained bystander can perform the crucial steps that can save a life.
St. Mary’s Health is proud to continue to serve our community and help keep our student athletes, and everyone attending sporting events, healthy and safe.