On three separate occasions in December, three lives–two student-athletes and one official–were saved after suffering sudden cardiac arrests during competitions at interscholastic athletic events in Wisconsin.
Since the 1990s, the WIAA has advocated for all schools to have action plans for medical emergencies. And in recent years, the WIAA Medical Advisory Committee has placed an added emphasis on developing and implementing emergency action plans. Sudden cardiac arrest education and preparedness were life-saving in all three incidents.
Sophomore Michael Saxby of Waunakee suffered sudden cardiac arrest during a junior varsity basketball game on Dec. 27 at West Allis Central. An athletic trainer performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and used an automated external defibrillator (AED) until paramedics arrived.
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WIAA-licensed official Bob Andrews went into cardiac arrest while officiating a boys basketball game at Two Rivers on Dec. 6. Late in the game, Andrews collapsed on the court. While school officials hurried to get the AED to try to revive Andrews, a number of medical professionals in attendance responded immediately.
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At the Bi-State Wrestling Tournament in La Crosse on Dec. 29, Jake Leicht of Bloomington-Kennedy High School (Minn.) went down in the first period of his 170-pound match. Leicht began having convulsions and experienced cardiac arrest.
Athletic trainers began CPR and were able to revive Leicht before an ambulance and emergency medical technicians arrived to transport Leicht to a local hospital where he remained overnight for observation. Remarkably, he attended the tournament the next day as a spectator.
These are just three examples that underscore the importance of developing, implementing and practicing school emergency action plans.
In an effort to enhance safety at interscholastic athletic activities in 2015, the membership voted to require all paid coaches at all levels of high school competition to complete and maintain certification in First Aid, CPR and AED operation.
For more information and resources on emergency action plans, please visit the “Emergency Action Plan” page on the WIAA website at: http://www.wiaawi.org/Health/EmergencyActionPlan.aspx.