Many clubs who have been affected by a sudden cardiac death have implemented programmes to reduce the risk of a club or community member dying of a sudden cardiac arrest. This is an opportunity to be proactive and build trust in your community as a leader in heart health.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest Can Strike Anyone, Any Time and Anywhere

Many individuals who suffer a cardiac arrest will die unless resuscitated within minutes.

'Immediate action by performing CPR and defibrillation doubles the chances of survival'.

The only way to save a person suffering a cardiac arrest is by early intervention of effective CPR and by shocking the heart with a defibrillator, delivering an electric current to the heart, momentarily stunning all movement and allowing the heart to reset itself.

Cardiac Arrest - The facts

• Sudden cardiac arrest occurs in seemingly fit people.
• In the UK, there are 60,000 cardiac arrests per year in the community. Half are witnessed, often by family and friends, and treatment by emergency medical services becomes possible. The survival rate in this group is only 10%. Starting CPR could help reduce 27,000 potentially survivable deaths.
• Sudden cardiac arrest does not discriminate between age or physical fitness levels, with high– performance athletes and fit and healthy young people (12 - 35 years old) losing their lives to sudden cardiac arrest.
• In the UK there are over 650 potentially avoidable deaths per year of young people (12 – 35 years old) with unrecognised heart conditions (SADS).

Sudden cardiac arrest kills more people than lung cancer, breast cancer and AIDS combined

Survival decreases by 7-10% for every minute of delay
But only by 2-3% for every minute if CPR is instigated!

The Chain of Survival – represents the sequence of four events that must occur quickly to optimise a person's chance of surviving a cardiac arrest:

• Early access to care
• Early and effective CPR
• Early defibrillation
• Early advanced and good post resuscitation care.

It takes seconds to save a life –

Once the heart stops, death starts. The early intervention of effective CPR and shocking the heart with a defibrillator can save someone's life.

Delivering an electric current to the heart, via a defibrillator, means that the heart can restart. CPR will not harm anyone who needs it and Public Access Defibrillators (PADS) do not deliver a shock if it is not required.

• There are literally thousands of lives that could be saved.
• Minutes are vital - the chance of survival decreases by 7-10% for every minute of delayed intervention but only 2-3% for every minute if CPR is instigated.
• CPR buys invaluable time.
• Effective CPR combined with early AED usage can double survival rates.

Sometimes there are SYMPTOMS prior to cardiac arrest or death, these include a number of red flag symptoms

• Any person with a family history of cardiac conditions (a sibling, parent or child) who either has an inherited condition or if there was a young death (under 50) due to an unknown reason or a heart condition, should contact the charity CRY to help arrange a referral to a specialist. This is a RED FLAG – NHS referral required.
• CHEST PAIN during exercise is a RED FLAG – NHS referral required.
• PASSING OUT –when the person injures themselves because they do not put out their hands to break the fall this is a RED FLAG – NHS referral required
• Other symptoms are more common like palpitations, breathlessness (disproportionate to the amount of exercise) and dizziness. These are often dismissed due to other causes such as diet, anxiety or depression, poor sleep etc

BUT you cannot rely on symptoms as 80% of all young sudden cardiac deaths will occur with no prior symptoms and the only way to identify people who are asymptomatic and at risk is through cardiac testing using at least an ECG.

CRY Checklist for Clubs

As a minimum, all organisations should make their members/stakeholders aware of the following key points. via email or letter, as well as social media

1. Awareness of cardiac (heart) symptoms – every young person should be aware of the red flag symptoms to look out for, and what to do if a family member has an inherited heart conditionCardiac Screening In Young People - BASEM
2. Screening – every young person between the age of 14- 35 should be aware of the opportunity to get their heart testedtestmyheart.org.uk
3. CPR - every person should be aware of how to do CPR, as a minimum they should watch this videoHow to do CPR | Resuscitation Council UK
4. AED - every person should know where the nearest AEDs are – (organisation to provide information of nearest AED locations).

Help and Support for Clubs

Training

CPR and AED training - invite St John’s Ambulance in to give face to face training for staff and volunteers 0344 770 4800 or write to workplace-training@sja.org.uk

England Football has developed a Sudden Cardiac Arrest e-learning module which is free and is focused around young people in sport.

The module is interactive and goes through CPR, AED and the risks and symptoms and also goes into paediatric arrest as well as adult.

The content is free and can be completed as often as one would like on laptop, phone or tablet. Users need to create an FA number [FAN] (also free) as a log in.

https://learn.englandfootball.com/courses/medical/sudden-cardiac-arrest

Joe Humphries Memorial Trust https://www.jhmt.org.uk/heartstart-for-sports have produced a British Heart Foundation approved course which is freely available and teaches CPR and Atrial External Defibrillator training.

https://vimeo.com/98677517 - video link to Joe Humphries Memorial Trust

Anyone at a sports club from the age of 12 can attend and learn the complete range of life-saving skills.

The course is divided into two stages.

STAGE 1 INCLUDES:

Learning practical skills using a hands-on approach, such as the recovery position and performing CPR. Learning these skills gives trainees more confidence in an emergency.

The Chain of Survival – the priorities

• Checking for danger, patient response and making a 999/112 call
• Checking breathing / getting help.
• The conscious casualty
• Opening the airway / the recovery position
• The unconscious casualty
• Cardiac arrest: chest compressions and rescue breathing (CPR).
•  

STAGE 2 INCLUDES:

Topics such as recognising and dealing with a heart attack and how to use a defibrillator.

• Signs and symptoms/ dealing with a suspected heart attack.
• Introduction to AEDs
• Summary of course / giving out certificates

The Most Important Thing

The Resuscitation Council UK has produced an interactive film: 'Lifesaver'

Lifesaver is an interactive app and live-action movie you play like a game. It shows you how to save someone's life. It throws you into the heart of the action, changing what happens in movies showing real people in real places. You learn by doing: do it wrong, and see the consequences; do it right, and sense the thrill of saving a life. It is free to use.

Lifesaver VR is an innovative and ground-breaking live-action movie that you play like a virtual reality game. Lifesaver VR throws you into the heart of the action as three young people are faced with a life-or-death situation. You control their movements as you make crucial decisions and learn essential life-saving skills.

Lifesaver VR is suitable for everyone but is especially appealing to young people.

Link to Lifesaver VR - here

Lifesaver VR requires a VR headset and mobile phone to play.

Resus.org.uk

How to use a Defibrillator – see the following web link@

BHF.org.uk

Equipment

Consider purchasing an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) for the clubhouse, pitch-side and/or for the team physio and communicate locations to stakeholders and members.

Screening

The charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) operate a mobile screening service where they come to your area for one or two screening days. It currently costs £6800 per day and clubs can get together with other local clubs to fundraise for their local communities. These costs are considerably lower than private medical services. CRY staff will check you have a suitable venue and help you with booking logistics. A member who signs up for the screening will fill out a health questionnaire and consent form. They will receive a non-invasive ECG which takes 5-10 minutes and an echocardiogram performed by a qualified cardiac physiologist. 100-120 people can be screened in a day. 1 in 300 people screened will be identified with a life-threatening condition. Screening is advised for 14–35-year-olds and it should be repeated every 2-3 years as heart conditions can manifest themselves at any point. You can set up a screening day with CRY via www.testmyheart.org.uk

Support

If any of your club members or a family member experiences a loss due to sudden cardiac death, be there for them. You can signpost them to CRY’s bereavement services if they need further support.