Key result
Only 36% of schools maintain emergency cardiac arrest plans despite widespread AED access.
Why the study?
Sudden cardiac arrest has high morbidity and mortality, but outcomes improve with early access to an automated external defibrillator and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
What is the status of emergency cardiac arrest plans and automated external defibrillator presence in Durham County schools?
Cross-Sectional (n=25)
What is the status of emergency cardiac arrest plans and automated external defibrillator presence in Durham County schools?
Despite high AED availability in schools, the lack of emergency cardiac arrest plans highlights a gap in sudden cardiac arrest preparedness.
Schools' limited emergency plans despite AED access urge caution in assuming SCA readiness; leaves open questions on effective implementation strategies.
Sudden cardiac arrest is an uncommon event with high morbidity and mortality. There are improved outcomes with early access to an automated external defibrillator and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. We assessed the availability of automated external defibrillators and emergency cardiac arrest plans in schools. A cross-sectional electronic survey was conducted to determine the status of emergency cardiac arrest plans and automated external defibrillator presence. Most schools (88%) had access to an automated external defibrillator; however, trained staff and maintenance plans were highly variable. Automated external defibrillator availability did not differ by racial/ethnic or socio-economic composition; however, there was a relationship between number of automated external defibrillators and student population (p = 0.0030). The majority of schools either did not have (28%) or did not know if they had (36%) an emergency cardiac arrest plan. Even without state legislation, automated external defibrillators were largely available in schools. However, there remains a paucity of emergency cardiac arrest plans and automated external defibrillator maintenance plans.
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Sooy-Mossey et al. (2022) conducted a cross-sectional in Sudden cardiac arrest preparedness (n=25). Automated External Defibrillators (AED) and Emergency Cardiac Arrest Plans was evaluated on Availability of automated external defibrillators. Most schools (88%) had access to an automated external defibrillator, but only 36% had an emergency cardiac arrest plan, highlighting a gap in sudden cardiac arrest preparedness.
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