Heart of the Matter

AEDs 'Absolutely Neccessary' To Have In Schools

Last updated Saturday, July 5, 2008 5:54 PM CDT in Sports

By Nathan Allen
The Morning News

The scary thing, however, is that Hobbs' condition isn't unique.

Avoiding Tragedy

On Feb. 18 in New Orleans, Shannon Veal, a 17-year-old basketball player, collapsed on the court during a game and died. Veal died because of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a condition that involves an enlarged heart.

"Shannon was my true All-American, she was the kind of player that was going places, big places," said Harold Boudreax, Veal's coach at Glen Oaks High in Baton Rouge, La. "If only we would have known she had something wrong with her heart. I don't care if she wouldn't have been able to play basketball for the rest of her life, at least she'd be here today - that's the most important thing."

On March 2 in Little Rock, Adam Nickel, a 27-year-old from Madison, Wis., collapsed and died after completing the Little Rock Marathon. Nickel, also suffering from unknown heart complications, was never revived by paramedics and was pronounced dead near the finish line.

Over the past 10 years, there have been other instances in the state - and around the country - of prep and collegiate athletes collapsing because of heart conditions. Some never woke up.

Flanigan, who wasn't sure if he'd ever coach again after Hobbs' death, said he constantly wonders if Hobbs' life could've been saved if an Automatic External Defibrillator would have been present when he collapsed.

"It's a shame that it has to happen with a young kid losing his life, but that's the best thing that's ever happened to (our school district)," Flanigan said. "I promise you, I wouldn't be coaching today if we didn't get an AED after that, but thankfully, we did get one.

"I don't care if we couldn't get the donation needed to buy one, I would've bought one myself. We just can't have schools in our state without those things. They save lives."

Because of Hobbs' death, the Little Rock School District purchased five AEDs, one for each of its high schools. Barbara Kumpe, the state advocacy director for American Heart Association in Little Rock, said there's still more that has to be done.

"We've got to get AEDs in every single school, big and small," Kumpe said. "If this state doesn't do something quick, we're going to have another Anthony Hobbs happen really soon. Our schools have to be prepared for this stuff. They have to have this equipment, it's absolutely necessary.

"This isn't something the schools only owe themselves, it's something they owe to every victim, victims like Anthony Hobbs."

The AED Movement

Former Arkansas State Rep. Sandra Prater, D-Jacksonville, has never felt more strongly about the importance of automatic external defibrillators.

Last year, Prater sponsored legislation that required all public and private schools and institutions of higher education to have AEDs.

The bill passed through both the state House and Senate, but suffered a setback when it offered no source of funding for schools to get AEDs, Prater said.

The average AED costs between $1,500-$2,000, according to the Web site www.americanheart.org.

"We've had too many recent instances where AEDs were needed in our schools, but weren't available," Prater said. "I got to a boiling point where I told myself I couldn't stand back and watch this happen anymore."

For the last two years, Prater has worked closely with other state legislators, the American Heart Association and the Arkansas Activities Association to make AEDs more accessible in public schools.

In Northwest Arkansas, there are 110 AEDs spread across 23 different school districts. However, four districts - Green Forest, West Fork, Kingston and McDonald County in Missouri - have none.

Prater said the death of Little Rock Parkview's Anthony Hobbs in January was a big wake-up call for school administrators around the state.

"After Anthony died, I wondered, 'How many times does this have to happen before something gets done,'" Prater said. "If an AED would have been present when Anthony collapsed, he might still be here today."

Lance Taylor, the AAA's executive director, said he's hoping to see all schools take the initiative to get AEDs as soon as possible.

"This is a big deal, and it always will be a big deal," Taylor said. "It's a scary thought, but something is always going to happen. We just need to make sure that when it does, schools have the tools they need to save people's lives."

Fort Smith native Doug Lowery, a local football referee, said without the help of an AED, he wouldn't be here today.

In 2004, Lowery was officiating the Springdale-Bentonville football game when he collapsed in the second half on the home sideline with sudden cardiac arrest.

For nine minutes, Lowery's heart stopped. But because paramedics and trainers were nearby with the proper equipment, including an AED, Lowery survived.

"I probably shouldn't be here today, not after what happened to me that night," Lowery said. "I can't think of a more important machine than an AED. The only reason I'm here today is because of the people that helped me and because of that machine.

"We've got to get those things in our schools as soon as possible. It's a machine that can save somebody's life, just like it saved mine."

TAKING THE RIGHT STEPS

Sudden cardiac arrest can occur anywhere at any time. The following are the proper steps that anyone - with at least a fifth-grade education - can take with an automatic external defibrillator to help save somebody's life.

1. If somebody collapses and you suspect sudden cardiac arrest, get the nearest AED as soon as possible. Turn the AED on and shout 'Are you OK?' as you shake the person.

2. Keep checking the person's responsiveness while calling or sending for more help.

3. If person is still unresponsive, open the airway by lifting their chin and tilting their head back. Placing a support underneath the person's head would be most ideal, but only if you suspect there has been no head or neck injury.

4. Check the person's breathing by looking for their chest rising or falling. You can also listen and feel for air flow during exhalation. If the person isn't breathing, give two breaths, one second per breath.

5. Attach defibrillator pads to the person's bare chest.

6. At this point, the AED will detect whether a shock to the person is or isn't advised. If no shock is advised, continue doing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until medical help arrives. If a shock is advised, stand clear of the patient and press the appropriate "shock" button on the AED.

7. After one shock is given, start CPR for two minutes and then allow the AED to analyze the person on whether or not to shock them again. If no shock is advised, continue CPR until medical help arrives.

SOURCE: Zoll AED+PLUS Products

STAYING ALERT

For the most part, schools in Northwest Arkansas have been equipped with the necessary equipment to save a life if something happens. Currently, there are a combined 472 automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) in schools across the state, and 23 percent (110) are in area schools. Below is a list of every area school district with the number of AEDs that district has.

School District Number of AEDs

Fayetteville 25

Springdale 3

Bentonville 20

Rogers 8

Siloam Springs 15

Huntsville/St. Paul 6

Farmington 3

Prairie Grove 1

Gravette 2

Greenland 1

Elkins 1

Berryville 3

Green Forest 0

West Fork 0

Shiloh Christian 2

Pea Ridge 4

Gentry 2

Eureka Springs 3

Lincoln 5

Decatur 4

Fayetteville Christian 2

Jasper/Kingston 0

McDonald County, Mo. 0

Source: The Morning News

PROJECT ADAM

Project ADAM began in 1999 after a series of sudden deaths occured among high school athletes in southeastern Wisconsin. Many of the deaths were caused from ventricular fibrillation, a condition in which heart ventricles contract in rapid and unsynchronized rhythms, not being able to pump enough blood into the body.

After Adam Lemel, a 17-year-old athlete from Whitfish Bay, Wis., collapsed and died during a basketball game on Jan. 22, 1999, Adam's parents, Patty and Joe Lemel, and one of Adam's childhood friends, David Ellis, collaborated with Children's Hospital of Wisconsin to create a program in Adam's memory.

Project ADAM provides everything schools need to plan, fund and develop their program while getting an AED on campus. The project is rapidly spreading around the country, with locations in Florida, Philadelphia and Atlanta.

For more information about Project ADAM, call (414) 266-3889 or e-mail projectadam@chw.org.

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