Role of Automated External Defibrillators (AED) in Sports

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young athletes is a tragic event with devastating effects on the family, athletic team, and the local community. Unfortunately sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) due to ventricular fibrillation (VF) is often the first manifestation of underlying cardiovascular disorders and is associated with high mortality. Sudden death in sport is rare and is usually due to congenital or hereditary structural and electrical cardiovascular disorders in young athletes (< 35 years), and atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD) in older athletes. There is debate over the most appropriate screening strategy to identify athletes at risk of SCD. Since some cardiac disorders cannot be identified without elaborate and cost-prohibitive pre-participation cardiovascular screening (PPS) programmes, additional strategies such as an effective programming using automated external defibrillators (AED) may be crucial in minimising cardiovascular deaths in athletes. Furthermore PPS would not prevent acquired cases of cardiovascular fatality in sports such as myocarditis, commotio cordis, and heatstroke or electrolyte disturbances. This chapter provides an overview of the magnitude of the problem, causes of SCD in athletes, the efficacy of automated external defibrillator (AED) in managing SCA, and the importance of emergency response planning to ensure effective management of SCA in athletes.