Sudden cardiac arrest in children

People think it’s very rare for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA)  to occur in children. But if we look into stats give by  Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, “Each year, SCA claims the lives of over 2,000 children and adolescents in the U.S. and accounts for approximately 3-5% of all deaths in children aged 5-19 years. It is also responsible for 10-15% of sudden unexpected infant deaths.” If this doesn’t encourage you to get your AED right now, what will? You can buy aed from any aed superstore. Calmed has a variety of AEDs you can choose from.

AED is such a life-saving device that if you use it within three-five minutes of cardiac arrest you can save someone’s life. A survey was conducted by the American Heart Association discovered that around 6000 people who were under 18 years became victims of out-hospital cardiac arrest.

Causes

There are three main causes of it in younger people which include:

• Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)
• Congenital Abnormalities
• Commotio Cordis

AED On Children

If young children rarely pass through your office doors, then you’re good to go with adult pads because, in a pinch, adult AED pads can be used on a child who is experiencing cardiac arrest. Many experienced doctors use adult pads on kids because they are trained to use them. But for a layman, it is not wise to use adult pads on a child. There are special pediatric pads manufactured for children by many companies nowadays. These pads are made by keeping in mind the heart of a child, the energy it must use, and instructions on how to use them on kids. According to rules you can use adult pads on children above 8 years and pediatric pads on infants and under 8 years of children.