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 Those requirements vary by state, said the study's lead author. For
example, one state may require AEDs to be installed in all schools
while another only requires the devices to be in public schools.
Very few states "require both public and private schools to have
them," said Dr. Mark Sherrid, a cardiologist and professor of
medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.
Out of every 100,000 children and adolescents, two to six will have
a sudden cardiac arrest each year, Sherrid and colleagues wrote
March 27 online in the Journal of the American College of
Cardiology.
"Without an AED, the chances of surviving and leaving the hospital
as a child are only 7 to 10 percent," Sherrid told Reuters Health.
"So, these kids tend not to make it." But with a shockable rhythm,
"your chances go up to 60 to 70 percent," Sherrid said.
His team found that as of February 2016, 17 of the 50 states
required at least some schools to have an AED installed. In all but
four of the 17, the cost of the devices is covered in some way by
the state or local boards of education.
"These laws tend to get started because of private lobbying by
families who have had deaths," said Sherrid. "The families get the
ear of the legislator and the legislator brings it to a floor."
The specifics of those laws varied. Only one state required AEDs in
public and private schools along with colleges. Three states
required AEDs in schools that participate in interscholastic sports.
Other states require AEDs only in public grade schools, only in
colleges, or a mix.
The researchers estimate 25 percent of schools are in states where
AEDs are required.
Sherrid said the next step is to determine how many schools across
the U.S. actually have AEDs.
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In Japan, he said, where most schools installed AEDs, studies show
children and adolescents benefited from the devices.
"A study we cite in the paper showed two in 50 high schools in the
U.S. can expect a sudden cardiac arrest each year," said Sherrid.
"That’s high enough to warrant doing something about it."
AEDs should be part of the school's routine and be available in the
building and on the athletic field, he said. Many states already
require AEDs to be installed in buildings other than schools.
"If they’ve made the point of legislating to have AEDs in gambling
facilities and race tracks, it would seem timely to move public
access of defibrillation into schools as well," Sherrid said.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2naueAZ
J Am Coll Cardiol 2017.
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