Background: US high schools are increasingly adopting automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for use in campus settings. We analyzed the effectiveness of emergency response planning for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in a large cohort of US high schools that had onsite AED programs.
Methods and results: A cohort of US high schools with at least 1 onsite AED was identified from the National Registry for AED Use in Sports. A school representative completed a comprehensive survey on emergency planning and provided details of any SCA incident occurring within 6 months of survey completion. Surveys were completed between December 2006 and July 2007. In total, 1710 high schools with an onsite AED program were studied. Although 83% (1428 of 1710) of schools have an established emergency response plan for SCA, only 40% practice and review the plan at least annually with potential school responders. A case of SCA was reported by 36 of 1710 schools (2.1%). The 36 SCA victims included 14 high school student athletes (mean age, 16 years; range, 14 to 17 years) and 22 older nonstudents (mean age, 57 years; range, 42 to 71 years) such as employees and spectators. No cases were reported in student nonathletes. Of the 36 SCA cases, 35 (97%) were witnessed, 34 (94%) received bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and 30 (83%) received an AED shock. Twenty-three SCA victims (64%) survived to hospital discharge, including 9 of the 14 student athletes and 14 of the 22 older nonstudents.
Conclusions: School-based AED programs provide a high survival rate for both student athletes and older nonstudents who suffer SCA on school grounds. High schools are strongly encouraged to implement onsite AED programs as part of a comprehensive emergency response plan to SCA.