• Posted December 28, 2024

New Legislation Will Help Schools Handle Heart Emergencies

Schoolkids will be better able to save the life of a cardiac arrest victim, thanks to a new law signed this week by President Joe Biden.

The Cardiomyopathy Health Education, Awareness, Research and Training in Schools (HEARTS) Act creates a new grant program to provide United States schools with additional resources to respond to a heart health emergency.

Students and teachers will be provided training in CPR and the use of automatic defibrillators (AEDs), which can restart a heart using electrical shocks.

Schools also will be given money to buy AEDs and develop cardiac emergency response plans.

The legislation was backed by Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who suffered an on-field cardiac arrest during a Monday Night Football game in Jan. 2023.

“I experienced cardiac arrest and was blessed to be surrounded by a team of medical professionals that saved my life,” Hamlin said in an American Heart Association (AHA) news release.

“Every year, as many as 23,000 kids experience cardiac arrest in our country, and I believe that every one of them deserves the same access to lifesaving care that I had,” Hamlin continued. “From schools to ball fields, this bill will help to protect kids, and I’m grateful to the lawmakers and partners who have made it a priority.”

Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart malfunctions and stops beating on its own. More than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside hospitals every year, according to the AHA.

The first warning that a person is suffering a cardiac arrest is when they collapse suddenly, as Hamlin did on national TV, the AHA says. The victim can’t breathe, isn’t responsive, and has no pulse.

About 90% of people who suffer a cardiac arrest die, according to the AHA. CPR can double or triple their chances of survival.

Unfortunately, only about 40% of cardiac arrest victims get the immediate help they need before paramedics arrive.

The cardiac emergency response plans promoted by the HEARTS Act can more than double survival rates from cardiac arrest, the AHA says. These plans empower bystanders to take action and call 911, start CPR, and use an AED.

In schools with AEDs, children who experience cardiac arrest are seven times more likely to survive, per the AHA.

“Every second counts when someone experiences a cardiac arrest, and now schools will have the resources they need to save lives,” Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association, said in a news release.

“By ensuring schools nationwide are equipped with cardiac emergency response plans, CPR training and AEDs, critical resources will be available to students, staff and visitors that can mean the difference between life and death during a cardiac emergency,” Brown added.

More information

The American Heart Association has more on hands-only CPR.

SOURCE: American Heart Association, news release, Dec. 26, 2024