Legislation Mandates Heart Starting AEDs

On Campuses By July 2010

WALLINGFORD — July 1, will mark a historic day in the annals of public health in the State of Connecticut as a landmark law requiring automated external defibrillators (AED) in the state’s schools takes effect. Exactly one year after the law takes effect (or by July 1, 2010), all schools in Connecticut will be required to have at least one AED accessible both during the school day and after hours for school-sponsored events like athletic practices and games.

Schools will also be required to have CPR- and AED-trained personnel on-hand during regular school hours and for school-sponsored activities occurring on school grounds after hours. 

Furthermore, each school and its athletic department will be required to develop an emergency action plan to respond to cardiac emergencies on school grounds. The law was carefully crafted so it would not require any funding from the state.

Schools that can not afford these lifesaving devices are allowed to accept donations, seek grant funding, and fundraise in order to acquire an AED and pay for the requisite training.

The American Heart Association and the Connecticut Athletic Trainers’ Association supported Senate Bill No. 981, An Act Concerning the Availability Automatic External Defibrillators in Schools. The bill became Public Act 09-94 when Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell signed it into law on May 27.

Sudden cardiac arrest claims the lives of nearly 325,000 Americans a year - more than 890 people a day. More than 95 percent of Americans who suffer cardiac arrest die before reaching the hospital, often times because defibrillation and CPR are provided too late. 

“The American Heart Association supports efforts to provide immediate bystander CPR and early defibrillation for victims of sudden cardiac arrest,” said Joni Czajkowski, senior director of advocacy and government relations for the American Heart Association.

“Schools often serve as community centers and may have a large volume of adult employees and community visitors,” she added. “They may also have large, sprawling campuses that may not be quickly accessible by EMS within the necessary few minutes after collapse from a sudden cardiac arrest, for viable resuscitation efforts. New York State has had this type of law on the books for years. I’m happy to see that Connecticut’s schools will be better to react to cardiac emergencies.

“The American Heart Association applauds the Connecticut legislature and the governor for their work in making the state’s schools safer for all,” said Ms Czajkowski.

In related news, the American Heart Association and the Connecticut Athletic Trainers’ Association also fully supported Senate Bill No. 1089, An Act Concerning Automatic External Defibrillators, which passed in both houses of the Connecticut General Assembly earlier this month and was signed into law by Governor Rell May 20.

Public Act 09-59, which goes into effect on October 1st, closes a loophole in Connecticut’s Good Samaritan law. It provides Good Samaritan immunity for the entity providing an AED. This will allow youth sports programs, churches, health clubs, and businesses to acquire an automated external defibrillator (AED) without fear of liability.

These types of organizations were often hesitant or unable to purchase or accept donated AEDs due to the existing loophole. Users of an AED are already covered under current Good Samaritan law.

The use of an AED is the only effective treatment for most cardiac arrests. For every minute of delay between cardiac arrest and defibrillation, the victim’s chance of survival drops by seven to ten percent. Studies have shown that survival rates are highest among those defibrillated within three to five minutes of their collapse from cardiac arrest as brain death and permanent death start to occur in just four to six minutes.

Since the best EMS response times are also in that four- to six-minute range, it is of vital importance to have an AED and trained personnel on site to begin lifesaving measures immediately.

Community AED programs speed access to effective treatment when people suffer sudden cardiac arrest. When this happens, the heart usually starts beating uncontrollably, causing victims to collapse. They become unresponsive to gentle shaking and stop breathing normally.

Within minutes, they can die. Once a victim is in sudden cardiac arrest, heart muscle becomes ineffective and, within 10–12 minutes, he or she is beyond help. Defibrillation stops an uncontrolled heart rhythm and allows the normal one to resume. Currently, only five percent of sudden cardiac arrest victims survive, because CPR and defibrillation usually occur too late. If CPR and defibrillation were more readily available and the survival rate from sudden cardiac arrest increased from five to 20 percent, about 40,000 lives could be saved in the United States each year.

The American Heart Association urges people to strengthen the chain of survival by knowing the warning signs of sudden cardiac arrest and heart attack, calling 911 immediately in such an emergency, giving early CPR and supporting the widespread availability of defibrillators. 

The American Heart Association defines the chain of survival as:

Link #1 – Early Access (know the warning signs and call 911);

Link #2 – Early CPR;

Link #3 – Early Defibrillation with an AED; and

Link #4 – Early Advanced Care (medical help on the scene because 911 was called).

For information about CPR and AED training courses in your area, call 877-AHA-4CPR or visit www.americanheart.org. For information about the Connecticut Athletics Trainers’ Association, visit www.ctathletictrainers.org.