Bishop Lynch High School Automated External Defibrillators

Written by Mike Hopper, ATC, Head Athletic Trainer at Bishop Lynch High School, Dallas, TX

Bishop Lynch High School is a co-educational Catholic high school that is a member of the Diocese of Dallas and a member of the Texas Association of Parochial and Private Schools (TAPPS). Bishop Lynch is a “Safe Sports School” as recognized by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association. The availability of AEDs on our campus is just one example of Bishop Lynch providing excellence in Athletic Healthcare.

Recently, the question was asked on Twitter by the Korey Stringer Institute “Are you prepared for sudden cardiac arrest? Where is the closest AED from where you are right now?” I took a quick picture on my phone of the unit that is permanently posted on the wall just inside of my Athletic Training Room. That is only one unit that currently sits within those 4 walls. Regularly, there are 3 units that are maintained within that facility, however currently we have 5 units there. Two of these units will be deployed elsewhere on campus in the coming months. KSI was understandably amazed and curious how we had 5 AEDs on our campus. But, we actually have 11 of these units posted throughout our 22-acre campus. So, then the question was: How did Bishop Lynch manage to have that many units on our campus and how can other schools learn from us?

I don’t know the full story, but I will say that we are dedicated to having these units within reach and we are dedicated to having a plan to attack sudden cardiac arrest with immediate response and treatment. When I came to BL in August 2014, we had 7 units on campus. Six of these were posted within athletic facilities. The seventh unit has been moved more than once this school year. BL is in midst of major renovations and that unit has floated multiple times before finding its current place. That location has become its new permanent home as this winter we acquired additional units for elsewhere in the building.

There are currently 9 AEDs deployed on our campus. We have units in our end-zone weight room building that serves the weight room and wrestling room in that building plus the baseball field a short distance away. Conceivably this unit also covers the track and football stadium. The fieldhouse in the corner of the same endzone hosts a unit on the wall providing coverage for the football stadium and track. Outside of the “competition gym” a unit is posted in plain sight that provides coverage for the main gym, the dance studio across the hall, and the weight room upstairs in that same building. Upstairs and a short distance away we have a brand new unit that was recently installed near the business office and two classrooms. Our “Legacy Gym” sits just feet away from the new “competition gym” and hosts a unit of its own posted on the wall outside our satellite Athletic Training Room. As we begin to enter the academic end of campus, we have a unit (previously mentioned) that sits outside of the theater. This is also located close to the main office and the cafeteria. Another brand new unit was deployed recently and is now posted on the wall right outside of the nurse’s office. This gives us 7 units posted in permanent locations.

Two more units are located inside of the Fieldhouse Athletic Training Room and these units are portable. This allows the Athletic Training Staff to transport the AEDs to the sideline or dugout of games. Our softball team currently plays off-campus and we are able to take a unit to their games without jeopardizing the safety (and liability) of our campus. We also take an AED with us whenever we travel with our football teams. With approximately 150 people that make up our travel party for a varsity football game, we believe that carrying this unit is necessary at all times.

I currently have two more units sitting in my office that are brand new and still inside of their boxes along with their cabinets. These units are awaiting the completion of new construction. One unit will be installed in the coming weeks as we prepare to open up a new building with 12 classrooms and the last unit will be installed before the 2015-2016 school year when that phase of renovations is completed.

I know that in our athletic facilities we are less than a minute from an AED at all times. There is not a single place that somebody can’t have an AED in hand instantly. The furthest point from an athletic standpoint from an AED is centerfield on the baseball field to the Haggar Building AED in the endzone. That is approximately 500 feet away. But on a game-day, there is a unit in the home dugout cutting that distance down by about 100-150 feet. Academically, we are currently a little bit further away than that in a couple of locations, however that will change in a couple of weeks. Our new unit will cut down that distance significantly. My biggest concern is in our parking lots, which are at the far ends of our campus. Just the other day I brought up this concern to our security staff and we will be addressing this.

Great, so you have 11 AEDs on campus? But do you have staff to use them?

This is a great question. While the AEDs are simple enough to be used by just about anybody, it is still critical that trained personnel respond to a sudden cardiac event. Accordingly, and as required by TAPPS, our entire coaching staff is required to maintain current CPR/AED certification. Additionally, we have a school nurse on campus each day along with one full-time Certified Athletic Trainer and one part-time Certified Athletic Trainer. Our security staff also is required to maintain CPR/AED certification. So in short, we have staff onsite at all times trained to respond to a cardiac event.

How do you maintain 11 AEDs? Who is in charge of that and who pays for that?

This is another great question. And one that we recently figured out. We have three units that are 4 years old, four units that are 3 years old and four units that are brand new. In the past, the replacement pads were simply purchased out of an account and nobody really thought about it too much. But as you can imagine, with 11 units, this is a costly venture. And so the school nurse and I have asked for a specific answer moving forward. We did not want this to be a year-by-year decision. Basically, each year we will spend the equivalent to what it would cost to purchase a new unit every year. But it’s a small price to pay and our school administration agrees with this. For this reason, the nurse’s budget will grow each year to accommodate this specific expense. We share joint responsibility for proposing those needs each year and I have taken on the responsibility of maintaining the units. This includes walking past them throughout the week along with testing them once a month. I have made up a spreadsheet with our entire inventory that includes expiration dates and also have a checklist in each case that I check off each month.

11 AEDs, a full staff of trained personnel, emergency action plans for athletics and campus-wide, combined with EMS being located only minutes away and the major trauma center less than 15 minutes away, we believe that Bishop Lynch is well-prepared for a sudden cardiac event on our campus. While we hope to “waste” a lot of money over time, we believe it’s a small price to pay should somebody on our campus collapse.

Every Athlete Deserves an Athletic Trainer. Every Friar Athlete Has One.

Heat Safety Pledge

Update: The Mission-KSI Heat Safety Pledge for high schools is well underway! We’ve had over 15 schools qualify, with several more applications in the works. Get your school on the list to get some great cooling products from Mission Athletecare!

Congratulations to Marshwood High School in Maine, which was the first school accepted. We have also accepted schools from Alabama, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas.

A little background on the Heat Safety Pledge: Mission Athletecare prides itself on creating the best athletic environment for performance and safety. As part of that goal, they wanted to find a way to reward schools for upholding appropriate policies for heat safety. Mission wants to donate $1 Million of product to schools nationwide who are striving to keep athletes safe.

And this is where KSI comes in. Mission masterminds, with the help of KSI of course, devised the Heat Safety Pledge, 6 pillars aimed at safety while exercising in the heat. We feel that these are the 6 key areas that help high schools athletes perform at their best and stay safer while exercising in the heat.

• Pillar 1: Thermometer– A wet bulb globe thermometer is on site at school and used to determine activity modifications based on environmental conditions. It is school policy to modify work to rest cycles based on environmental conditions.
• Pillar 2: Certification– All coaching staff is certified in first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of an automated external defibrillator. Additionally, education is provided related to preventing sudden death in sport.
• Pillar 3: Athletic Trainer– An athletic trainer is employed at your school and is on-site during practices and events.
• Pillar 4: Emergency Action Plan– A specific emergency action plan for each athletic facility has been developed where sports games and practices occur. This plan is reviewed with the healthcare team every year.
• Pillar 5: Heat Acclimatization Guidelines– School has adopted nationwide high school preseason heat acclimatization guidelines set forth by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association.
• Pillar 6: Water Stations/Body Cooling- Adequate water is available and placed at various stations around the athletic fields for all sports. At water stations, body cooling is standard practice. This can be as simple as encouraging players to remove equipment during rest breaks as using ice/cold towels.

Some of the pillars of the heat safety pledge require little funding, emergency action plans for example; and can be implemented right away! Appropriate heat acclimatization is regulated by some state athletic associations, so if your state meets the KSI heat acclimatization standards, you already satisfy one of the pillars. But even in states without good guidelines, appropriate heat acclimatization procedures cost no money and can prevent heat illness.

On the same note, we’re talking to YOU high school athletic trainers, your employment helps satisfy one pillar as well. What a way to get some much needed supplies for your school! Take a look at the Heat Safety Pledge today to see if your high school qualifies. If you’re unsure, use the KSI Prevention section for more information on common practice standards. Contact Mission for more information on how to apply.

Evidence Based Practice

This past weekend, January 9-12, was the 67^th Annual Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association (EATA) Meeting and Clinical Symposium in Philadelphia, PA. A great addition to this year’s program was the opportunity for the attendees to listen to four Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) talks. The EBP sessions covered topics on the integration of qualitative research in athletic training as it pertains to work-life balance, the adaptations of the nervous system after ACL reconstruction, targeted rehabilitation strategies of ankle injuries using sensory feedback, and using injury surveillance on clinical decision making. These sessions allowed the Athletic Trainers and students that attended the conference learn about current topics in our profession that are supported by evidence-based research.

Evidence based practice in Athletic Training is a three-pronged approach to optimize patient care. The incorporation of best research evidence, clinical expertise, and patient values and preferences allows Athletic Trainers as clinicians to provide the best care to their patients and athletes.

Best research evidence incorporates the ever-evolving field of scientific research to guide the clinician on the appropriate clinical decisions and practices to enhance patient outcomes. Clinical expertise is derived from a clinician’s personal observations, reflection, and judgment, which are also needed to translate scientific results into treatment of individual patients. Patient preferences provide the clinician information based on their attitudes and beliefs and is a driving force of using the evidence and turning it into practice.

The opportunity to sit in on these EBP talks was important, not only for the Athletic Trainers to improve their clinical practice, but to also meet recent requirements for Athletic Trainers to maintain their certification. The Board of Certification, the organization that oversees the credentialing of Athletic Trainers in the United States, has made modifications on the requirements for Athletic Trainers obtaining their required continuing education units (CEUs) for maintenance of their certification. Athletic Trainers are now required to obtain 10 of their 50 bi-annual CEUs as EBP.

KSI is currently developing an EBP course for Athletic Trainers and other medical professionals to become educated on preventing sudden death in sport and physical activity, which will further add to the current EBP topics that Athletic Trainers can choose from. It is essential that Athletic Trainers, as medical professionals, stay up-to-date on the most current evidence-based research in order to improve overall patient-centered outcomes.