How to Keep Athletes Safe During Sports Practice

Dan Gershenson
How to Keep Athletes Safe During Sports Practice
Sudden Cardiac Arrest episodes have occurred more frequently over the past few years. Not a week goes by without you hearing a report about professional, college, or high school sports practices getting canceled or halted due to a player experiencing SCA. In June of 2024, the Kansas City Chiefs football practice was halted due to one of the players experiencing Sudden Cardiac Arrest. The impact of these traumatic experiences reaches beyond the Sudden Cardiac Arrest victim. It impacts the team’s and community’s mental health, emotional well-being and economics. According to a 2024 trends report by the American Heart Association, direct costs due to sudden cardiac arrest are on the rise. Here are a few statistics:
  • The average annual direct and indirect cost of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the United States was an estimated $422.3 billion from 2019 to 2020.
  • The estimated direct costs of CVD in the United States increased from $103.5 billion in 1996 to 1997 to $254.3 billion in 2019 to 2020.
  • By event type, hospital inpatient stays for CVD (HD, stroke, hypertensive disease, and other circulatory conditions) accounted for $110.3 billion in direct costs from 2019 to 2020 in the United States.
These statistics reinforce why all sports teams, schools and recreational facilities need to prioritize the prevention of sudden cardiac arrest incidents (also known as CVD-cardiovascular disease) for safety as well as economic reasons. A safer, healthier environment starts with preparedness.

What can your organization do to properly prepare your environments so that they are safe during sports practices and events?

AED.US recommends taking the following initial steps:

  1. Require coaches to keep a mobile AED at the practice site The timeline between Sudden Cardiac Arrest and no brain activity is 10 minutes. This leaves little to no time to revive the victim. An AED can get the heart re-started, so the sooner you can restore a natural heart rhythm, the better your chances of preventing death and brain damage.
  2. The threat of Sudden Cardiac Arrest lurks in any workout facility, sports practice or event. Assess who is CPR certified at the event and ensure they are properly trained in using AEDs. According to the Red Cross, CPR helps increase blood flow to the heart. However, AEDs are also needed to maintain a natural heart rhythm.

Remember, Minutes Matter.

Don’t let cost constraints prevent you from keeping community members, players and athletes safe. Start by investing in a refurbished mobile AED and encourage community involvement. Make a life-saving investment in AEDs today through AED.US and ensure your sports environment is ready for any cardiac emergency. For more information on the refurbished AED that’s right for you, call us at 888-652-1882. You can also spread awareness and contribute by sharing this blog with fellow sports facility managers and athletic team administrators.