The country is currently basking in the arrival of the Rugby World Cup up and down the UK, fierce competition is taking place in a bid to become the world champions of one of the world’s toughest and most physical team sports.
Rugby is seen to be a sport that is so physical that many question why some athletes taking part choose to not wearing protective chest pads (much like the mandatory pads used in the similar US sport, American Football), but those that take part are undoubtedly some of the toughest and fittest athletes on the planet.
Protecting your heart during this kind of heavy sporting activity is critical and perhaps, often overlooked.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest
We read and saw not so long ago the story of Rugby League star Danny Jones who collapsed and died after suffering a cardiac arrest during a League 1 game against London Skolars whilst playing for Keighley Cougars.
A sudden cardiac arrest is a condition caused by an electrical malfunction within the heart causing the muscle to fibrillate and beat irregularly. Subsequently key organs around the body are starved of much needed oxygen-rich blood and being to shutdown.
It is important that immediate medical attention and support is sought, for every passing minute without treatment survival chances decrease by 10%.
The only form of treatment is the combined use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) and the immediate application of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). If this process is performed within 3-5 minutes of collapse, survival chances increase from 6% to 74%.
A cardiac arrest can occur out of nothing. It can affect anyone – no matter of age, gender, ethnicity or fitness level with no warning signs. And furthermore, heavy collisions on the chest wall can result in someone suffering a cardiac arrest.
So how do we protect athletes?
First and foremost is the undertaking of cardiac screening as often as possible and at any level of sports. How does this help? Screening can help to identify and determine any heart abnormalities that could lead to cardiac problems further down the road.
More commonly affecting children, commotio cordis is a condition which can result in a person incurring a cardiac arrest after receiving a sharp or blunt blow to the chest – usually during sports or strenuous activities.
There is no way to pre-empt this condition and the only way to be prepared is to have fully trained first aiders on standby with the necessary equipment, i.e. a defibrillator, on site and ready to help save a life at a moment’s notice.
Having the necessary people first aid and CPR trained is the starting point, but having AED training as well allows any potential user to be ready and prepared should a cardiac arrest ever occur whilst they are present.
Having as many defibrillators on site throughout a sporting venue, no matter what level of the game the athletes are playing at, World Cup to Sunday league, is an absolute must and ensures that they, along with spectators and organisers, are protected as best as possible against cardiac arrest.
If you would like to learn more about cardiac arrest, the heart, defibrillators and everything in between, please visit our FAQ page which is packed full of usefully information. Alternatively, you can download our brand new defibshop CPR & AED App for free via the App Store and Play Store.
