WELLTHVILLE, Ohio (WKBN) – NFL player Dumar Hamlin’s on-field cardiac arrest may raise questions among families of high school sports-involved students.
What if a similar situation happened at a high school game in the Valley? People at the school district say the Wellsville Local School District is as prepared as it can be.
The district has implemented an emergency action plan for games in both middle school and middle/high school gymnasiums, soccer fields, and baseball/softball fields to ensure student safety. We have two portable AEDs for outdoor events and an AED at the bowling alley for home meet.
“You know, we have to have them readily available. We have to make sure that we do what we promise. I don’t want to use them,” said Wellsville High School athletic director Don Elliott.
According to Elliott, the plan includes requiring all coaches to be trained to perform CPR and use an AED.
Elliott said they will have a doctor and an ambulance at their football game, along with trainer Caitlin Hawthorne. There are ambulances nearby for other sports and police officers.
Hawthorne is contracted as an athletic trainer for Wellsville Local Schools and is employed by East Liverpool City Hospital. She drew up her Emergency Action Plan almost eight years ago when she first arrived in Wellsville.
“There are certain reasons to help athletes stay safe in catastrophic situations, or to help us stay as safe as possible,” Hawthorne said.
Hawthorne said if the athlete is unresponsive and not breathing, start CPR immediately. If breathing does not begin before the AED arrives, continue breathing until the AED arrives. After the pads are applied, the AED will continue to give instructions.
AEDs can be used until an ambulance arrives or the player is resuscitated.
Hawthorne said it’s important to act quickly because the sooner you start CPR and AED treatment, the more likely you’ll be able to revive them and hopefully save them. Compressions force blood out and the AED restarts the heart.
Hamlin lay down for 19 minutes while seeking immediate medical attention. WXIX-TV in Cincinnati reported: Hamlin needed an AED in addition to CPR on site.
As of Thursday, doctors said Hamlin has made “amazing progress in the last 24 hours.” It was reported Thursday that Hamlin was awake in the hospital.
Elliott said that along with the staff of the sports department, the Good Samaritan, who is willing to help, is also in the game.
“Usually there is a nurse or someone there. There are people,” Elliott said.
In order for schools to host OHSAA tournament matches, they must develop an emergency action plan. The school hosted a baseball tournament game last season.
OHSAA has a link where schools can create their own action plans. For more information, I found it on that website.
According to former Miss Ohio and national heart health advocate Lindsey DavisCurrently, there are no state laws mandating the use of AEDS at high school sporting events. I strongly recommend it. Davis is currently working on another bill that requires all students to know how to perform her CPR and use an AED.
Other things to consider in emergency medical situations are:
- Soothes and soothes the athlete.
- Do not move a seriously injured athlete unless the condition is dangerous.
- Do not reduce fractures or dislocations.
- Adequate line of sight between medical staff and all available emergency personnel must be established and maintained.
- Once medical staff have begun treating an injured player, they should be able to provide service without interruption or interference.
- Keep players, coaches and spectators away from injured athletes.
