Published on October 30, 2009 at 7:00 AM
The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) and HeartSine Technologies have teamed up to make the Minnesota State High School tournaments a safer place for the players, coaches, spectators, and officials.
The MSHSL has purchased eight mobile Automated External Defibrillators (AED) from HeartSine and Wilson Safety in an effort to immediately respond to Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), which is the leading cause of death in young athletes and the leading overall cause of death in the United States.
According to MSHSL Associate Director Jody Redman, SCA claims more than 250,000 lives annually. She explained that the portable AEDs will be deployed by medical personnel who are stationed on the fields or sidelines at the state tournament venues. "By having the AEDs close to where an SCA event might occur, we can ensure that we have all of the tools in place so that we can respond and give the victim a chance of survival."
This is especially timely given that October is Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month. In conjunction with this month-long observance and the Minnesota State High School League's fall tournaments, HeartSine and Wilson Safety have offered all MSHSL member schools an opportunity to purchase additional AEDs at the same reduced cost that they made available to the league through the end of November. More information is available at http://www.mshsl.org/mshsl/news/TU2009AEDSpecialOffer.pdf
The HeartSine samaritan PAD was cited for its compact size and portability, as they would be transported to various events. Also, the units' durability when exposed to harsh Minnesota elements, and their relatively low cost of maintenance were key issues for the MSHL.
Redman noted that awareness of SCA is heightened because of the increased number of incidents in the last two years. There have been approximately 10 reported SCA incidents in Minnesota since January 2008.
SOURCE HeartSine Technologies