All Articles by Lindsey Barton Straus, JD

There are numerous costs, beyond the costs of the AEDs themselves, that a community will incur in setting up and running an AED program.

Once an AED committee is formed it needs to develop a mission statement which will not only help the committee stay focused by constantly reminding its members of its purpose and goals, but, by clearly stating that purpose and goals to the larger community, will help generate the broad-based community and political support an effective AED program requires. In addtion, the committee needs to draft a Statement of Need which the committee will use both as part of its checklist in developing and implementing its AED program and as a stand-alone document in its public awareness and funding campaigns.

Commotio Cordis is a rare disruption of the heart's electrical system resulting from a blunt impact to the chest that leads to sudden cardiac arrest. It has been documented in over 250 cases since 1998, and occurs most often in lacrosse, with the most recent incident involving a 12-year-old boy who tragically died in Rochester, New York after being hit in the chest with a ball.

An AED program consists of much more than buying an AED and making it accessible. A good program has widespread support, both internal (within your club, school, organization or business), and external (in the lay, medical and EMS communities) and is based on sound principles and careful planning.

According to the September 12, 2004 story in the Macon (Georgia) Telegraph, when rising football star Ryan Boslet suffered sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) during a workout at his school gym on February 20, 2003, the AED the school had only recently purchased wasn't used - even though it was just the length of a basketball court away in the athletic director's office - because a staff member couldn't find the adhesive electrode pads, which were tucked under a flap inside the AED. Thinking the device was inoperable, coaches called 911, and administered CPR to the 6-foot-4, 270 pound defensive tackle, but the 17-year old died later that day. Boslet's death, said the story, points to a larger problem: "Ordinary people, even with training, often can't use the increasingly popular defibrillators under the pressure of an emergency."

Despite the risks, asthma shouldn't keep your child out of sports. With proper precautions, they can play, as long as parents follow these safety tips:

Salt tablets are a bad idea, and here's why.