Sudden Cardiac Arrest

LETTER: Every school needs an AED!

If your answer is something like “immediately after stressful activity,” try again! The answer surprised us that on average, the risk is highest between 6am and 12 noon and not after a hard day’s work. The entire article is available here from TIME Magazine.

We discussed the rarity “myth” of pediatric cardiac arrest in a recent post, but now we learn that there’s perhaps a preventative measure. Simply screening kids for heart problems before they engage in athletic activities might be all it takes. Parents and school officials will want to read this article.

For years the common knowledge about pediatric cardiac arrest centered around the following facts: it’s usually brought on by respiratory arrest, and, it’s rare. The American Academy of Pediatrics believes the problem is not as uncommon as we first thought. You’ll find the article here. It could change perception of pediatric cardiac arrest as we know it.