At RescueStat, our focus is ensuring equipment, organizations, people, and culture are ready when someone suffers a Sudden Cardiac Arrest. We leverage a Readiness Checklist so that our clients are ready to act quickly when emergencies occur. To provide an understanding of how the Readiness Checklist is used, let’s apply it to the recent incident on the NFL’s Monday Night Football game, where Damar Hamlin suffered Sudden Cardiac Arrest on the field after a hit.
- Equipment Ready: The NFL requires that each team has an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) on the sidelines at all times. An AED is a portable device that delivers an electric shock to the heart to restore a normal rhythm in the case of Sudden Cardiac Arrest. The AEDs are checked before the game to ensure they are functional, and members of the medical team ensure they know where the AED is at all times. Upon determining that Damar was suffering from SCA, the AED was quickly used to shock his heart back into rhythm. While CPR was administered immediately, it was the AED that saved his life. The NFL had the equipment to save lives ready.
- Organization Ready: The NFL has a medical team on the sidelines during all games to respond to any emergencies that may arise. This team includes trained medical personnel such as doctors and athletic trainers. When Damar collapsed, the medical team was by his side in seconds to assess his health and status. Both coaches came together to agree to not finish the game, and instead for the Bill’s coach Sean McDermott to follow Damar to the hospital.
- People Ready: In this event, the medical team immediately responded and assessed the player’s condition. CPR was started and the AED was placed. The AED found Damar’s heart rhythm was abnormal and delivered a shock to the heart in an attempt to restore a normal rhythm. While not every organization has a team of doctors and athletic trainers at the ready, your staff can be trained on AED/CPR so they too can be ready to save a life.
- Culture Ready: It’s important to note that the use of an AED is critical for the restarting of the heart rhythm, and that early treatment of Sudden Cardiac Arrest increases the chance of survival. The NFL’s culture establishes that protecting its players is paramount. The NFL has implemented strict protocols and guidelines to ensure that the medical team is prepared to respond quickly and effectively in the event of an emergency. The culture of the NFL, and its disciplined approach, prove that the NFL has a culture of readiness.
The NFL showed that with the right preparation, organization, equipment, people and culture can be ready when Sudden Cardiac Arrest hits. This is the readiness standard that RescueStat holds itself to, and that we provide for our clients. To assess your organization’s readiness, download our Sudden Cardiac Arrest Readiness Checklist. It provides tips for how to organizations should be getting ready for similar emergencies.