McEachern High School Receives Defibrillator Devices for Sports Programs

The McEachern Athletic Booster Club, in partnership with Trinity Chapel, presented the McEachern High School Sports Medicine Program with two automated external defibrillator devices (AED's). McEachern High School is the first school in Cobb County to provide AED's for their athletic events. The concerned parents of the McEachern Athletic Booster Club raised money and partnered with Trinity Chapel to provide the two devices for the school. These steps were taken to increase chances of surviving sudden cardiac arrest that could occur as a result of sudden impact to the chest or as a result of athletic events.

The only known treatment for cardiac arrest is the use of a defibrillator, which uses powerful electric shock to stop the abnormal heart rhythm and allow the heart to return to a more normal beating pattern. Survival rates for sudden cardiac arrest are less than 2% when defibrillation is delayed more than 10 minutes. Unlike models of defibrillators intended for use by health care professionals, AED's do not require extensive medical knowledge to understand or operate. The expertise needed to analyze the heart's electrical function is programmed into the device, and enables ordinary people to provide treatment to victims of sudden cardiac arrest. A four-hour training covering both AED's and cardiopulmonary resuscitation is all that is necessary to learn how to use the device. The AED provides clear voice prompts that instruct the user to attach electrodes and then stay clear while the device automatically analyzes the patient's heart rhythm. If needed, the user is prompted to remain clear and deliver the lifesaving defibrillation shock.

Pictured from left to right: Mr. Jason Bolin, Trinity Chapel Middle School Youth Pastor; Coach Randy Taylor, McEachern Sports Medicine Coordinator; Mr. Stan Lester, Trinity Chapel High School Youth Pastor; Mr. Allen Martin, McEachern Athletic Booster Club Board Member; Mr. Robert Benson, Principal; and Dr. Jason Branch, McEachern Athletic Director