First Aid CPR AED | What’s Your Emergency Game Plan?

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First Aid CPR AED Whats Your Emergency Game
Plan
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On a beautiful autumn day this past November,
families from across Washington State drove out
among the apple orchards of Yakima Valley for the
Northwest Fall LAX Fest. Against that quiet
pastoral setting, no one would have expected the
emergency that would end the tournament. Referee
Jeff Bambrick remembers the moment he saw high
schooler Samuel collapse during the championship
game. The clock had reached the 2- to 3-minute
mark, when an offensive player fired a shot at
the goal that struck Samuel instead. Initially,
it appeared that he had just been hit in the
lower abdomen as he crumpled to the ground. The
coach and trainer came out on the field as Jeff
spoke with the other officials to determine
whether or not to stop the clock.
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On a beautiful autumn day this past November,
families from across Washington State drove out
among the apple orchards of Yakima Valley for the
Northwest Fall LAX Fest. Against that quiet
pastoral setting, no one would have expected the
emergency that would end the tournament. Referee
Jeff Bambrick remembers the moment he saw high
schooler Samuel collapse during the championship
game. The clock had reached the 2- to 3-minute
mark, when an offensive player fired a shot at
the goal that struck Samuel instead. Initially,
it appeared that he had just been hit in the
lower abdomen as he crumpled to the ground. The
coach and trainer came out on the field as Jeff
spoke with the other officials to determine
whether or not to stop the clock.
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After a minute or so, Jeff went over to see how
Samuel was doing. As I walked up, I heard agonal
gasping. Its a very distinctive type of
gasping, Jeff says. In my career Ive heard it
quite a few times, and I immediately recognized
this guy is very near dead. He knew to start
chest compressions immediately as Samuels gear
and helmet were removed while about 150 parents
looked on from the sidelines. Jeffs 20-year
career has been with the Tacoma Fire Department,
where Jeffs a lieutenant and serves as the
training paramedic. He teaches CPR, advanced
cardiac life support and pediatric life support
to the 400-person department and general public
as a Basic Life Support Instructor for the
American Heart Association (AHA). Hes also
been on a lacrosse field in some capacity
player, coach, ref since his days as a high
school player back in the 80s.
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After a few minutes of hands-only CPR, Samuel
started breathing again and Jeff could find a
pulse. Just then, paramedics arrived and Jeff
told them, Im pretty sure this is commotio
cordis, an often lethal disruption of the heart
rhythm after a blow to the area directly over the
heart at just the right time in the cycle of the
heartbeat. Jeff knows the condition well. As
long as they get CPR immediately and the brain
gets oxygen again, they usually have a full
recovery, and thats what happened in this case,
he says. and the hospital cardiologist monitored
him for 48 hours and sent him home. Hes
absolutely fine, Jeff says. He knows this first
hand. He and Samuel recently had the opportunity
to reunite at another tournament in
Seattle. Commotio cordis started gaining
attention in lacrosse circles back in the early
2000s after a few high-profile deaths raised
awareness around the condition. Its a higher
risk in lacrosse so U.S. Lacrosse has had an AED
grant program for more than 10 years.
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Still, Bruce Griffin, PhD, and the director of
the Center for Sport Science for U.S. Lacrosse
saw the need for something more, beyond just the
device itself an accessible training program
for youth coaches. Often in youth sports there
are no athletic trainers, EMS or other
duty-to-respond personnel on-site, so if a
cardiac arrest occurs during practice or during a
game, it is important that coaches, parents and
athletes are prepared to act. When the AHA
released its CPR in Schools Training Kit, Bruce
saw its potential and felt that with a few
modifications it could be adapted to serve youth
sports needs, so he reached out to the AHA. Fast
forward to LaxCon 2020, and the launch of AHAs
CPR First Aid in Youth Sports Training Kit,
designed for youth coaches to ensure they and
their community know the lifesaving skills of
CPR, how to use an AED and how to help during
sports-related emergencies. Bruce calls it a
game-changer for local youth sports
organizations, typically run by volunteers with
limited training. The kit allows the average
person to facilitate training for 10 20 people,
in less than an hour.
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Thats time well spent considering sudden cardiac
death (SCD) during sports is a tragic event that
has a significant impact on friends, families,
communities and sports organizations. Having an
Emergency Action Plan (EAP) for coaches and their
support team is key to survival in the event of
cardiac arrest and CPR could double or triple a
persons chance of survival. Not unlike others
passionate about more save stories in sports,
as a 15-year-old youth basketball coach, Bruce
witnessed an incident that has stayed with him
all these years an official had a sudden
cardiac arrest right in front of him. He didnt
know what to do, but the mother of one of his
athletes performed CPR and the official lived.
That made him never want another coach to face
that situation without the knowledge of how to
help.
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Knowledge is indeed power in these situations
the power to save someones life. As both a
paramedic and ref, Jeff has his own take on the
importance of an EAP and asking all the right
questions before a game How does the ambulance
actually get to where we are? Do we have to open
a gate? Do they have to drive onto the field?
Thats all stuff you need to plan out beforehand
in a pregame meeting, he says. Its so
important that the coaches and referees know
where the emergency equipment is. The wrong time
to find out is when something bad happens. You
have to have a plan in place. Learn more about
First Aid CPR AED. Bergenfield, NJ, Jersey City,
NJ, Livingston, NJ, and Queens, New York and
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