Safety & Training

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is a life-threatening emergency that occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating. It strikes people of all ages who may seem to be healthy, even children and teens.

When SCA happens, the person collapses and doesn’t respond or breathe normally. They may gasp or shake as if having a seizure.

SCA leads to death in minutes if the person does not get help right away. Survival depends on people nearby calling 911, starting CPR¹, and using an AED² (if available) as soon as possible.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is the leading cause of death in the U.S., taking the lives of 356,000 people annually. But what most parents don’t know is that SCA is the #1 killer of student athletes and the leading cause of death on school campuses. One in 300 youth has an undetected heart condition that puts them at risk. In fact, an estimated 7,0006 to 23,0007 youth are stricken annually.

So why are we often led to believe that SCA in youth is “too rare” to worry about?

The precise incidence of SCA in youth is presently unknown due to the lack of a mandatory and systematic national registry of SCA/SCD in youth. Parent Heart Watch strongly advocates for the establishment of such a registry to provide more accurate data that will motivate new research and strategies that will lead to SCA and SCD prevention.

PHBA is equipped with an AED in the Snack Shack at the Pleasant Oaks Park Fields.

Additional Resource Information:
https://parentheartwatch.org/resources/what-is-sca/

In compliance with state law AB379, we require all adults that engage with players in practices and games, to complete a Sudden Cardiac Arrest awareness and prevention training like this, or show proof of active CPR and AED certification.