Physicians spreading awareness about AEDS as kids head back to school and youth sports ramp up

TAMPA, Fla. - With kids heading back to school and youth sports ramping up, emergency medicine physicians are staying prepared for whatever cardiac injuries they may see.

"There is evidence that on days that there are heatwaves, there are increased sudden cardiac deaths," Dr. Meghan Martin, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital pediatric emergency medicine physician, said. "When we're hotter, our body is doing more work. It's using more energy to cool the body, putting more stress on the heart."

Experts say education is essential in preventing severe cardiac events. That includes spreading awareness about automated external defibrillators, or AEDs.

"AEDs are absolutely life-saving, and it is so important to have them on athletic fields and where people are active," Martin said. "If they're not there, those are lives that could have been saved if they had been available."

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But getting those AEDs and the necessary parts, some experts say, has been a bit of a challenge recently.

" We have had difficulty filling orders for our customers as distributors just don’t have stock," Troy Bowman, vice president and CFO of In-Pulse CPR, told FOX 13. "When we find some, pricing is 20-30% higher than pre-COVID."

Earlier this year, interest in and demand for AEDs skyrocketed after NFL player Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during a Buffalo Bills game in January.

Just last month, Bronny James, the oldest son of NBA superstar LeBron James, had to be hospitalized after going into cardiac arrest while at basketball practice.

The American Heart Association, which helps facilitate the placement of AEDs within nonprofits and community organizations, said it's aware of continued challenges due to supply chain issues.

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"There's a pretty big shortage where batteries and pads are concerned from what I understand," Courtney Burt, Vice President of Community Impact for the American Heart Association, said. "One of my partners shared with me that the batteries, any sort of battery devices, have a big issue getting batteries. And also, the costs have gone up quite substantially for manufacturers."

But that has yet to stop the important work that needs to be done, especially this time of year. Burt said the American Heart Association is in the process of placing 50 AEDs in youth sporting organizations across Hillsborough County.

"It is going to be huge and really empower a community of lifesavers in Tampa Bay," Burt said.