Dr. Neal Thomas and colleagues from Penn State Children's Hospital, Penn State College of Medicine, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, and Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation reported a healthy 13-year-old boy who suffered cardiac arrest after being hit in the chest by a pitch while at bat in a baseball game. The coaching staff immediately began administering CPR, and 6-8 minutes later the paramedics arrived and used an AED. The boy was taken to the emergency room and was awake, talking, and following commands within one hour of his arrival; he was discharged from the hospital after three days.
Since 62% of cases of commotio cardis have been reported to occur during competitive sporting events, Dr. Thomas points out that "more effective first-responder therapy is needed." Timeliness, training, and equipment are all important aspects of delivering effective treatment. Although the average cost of an AED is $2,500, survival rates for commotio cardis may increase to 25% if resuscitative measures are taken within three minutes of impact; delayed efforts or CPR-only can reduce the survival rate to 3%. Chest protector equipment can reduce the risk of commotio cardis, but 28% of
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6-Dec-2005