Legislation aimed at preventing deaths due to sudden cardiac arrest in schools was considered this week in the House Regulatory Reform Committee.
Key Points:
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- The two bills were introduced by Representative John Fitzgerald (D-Wyoming) and Representative Tyrone Carter (D-Detroit).
- The legislation requires schools to develop cardiac emergency response plans and offer training and access to automated external defibrillators (AED).
- Currently, 23 states have AED school requirements.
- Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a life-threatening emergency caused by a malfunction in the heart’s electrical system. It claims the lives of more than 300 Michigan residents between the ages of 1 to 39 annually.
- Survival rates from SCA more than double when a bystander uses a publicly available AED as opposed to waiting for the arrival of emergency responders.
Next steps:
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- The two bills remain before the committee for further consideration.
