Fifteen Northeast Ohio schools on Tuesday received cardiac defibrillators after the schools completed a training program run by University Hospitals, the Cleveland Browns and Browns cornerback Denzel Ward.
The program, called AEDin3, challenged local schools and their athletic directors to complete a drill that ensured an automated external defibrillator would be on the field or court within three minutes during a cardiac event.
University Hospitals is offering additional training and defibrillators at no cost to schools who failed to qualify within the three-minute threshold.
Dr. Robert Flannery, a sports medicine physician at University Hospitals and assistant physician to the Browns, previously told Ideastream Public Media that the AEDin3 challenge was a useful way to "stress test" the emergency action plan of a sports venue. Testing these plans is important because time is a crucial factor when responding to cardiac arrest, he said.
UH and the Browns announced the partnership last July in an effort to help prevent cardiac arrest deaths in high school athletes.
AED devices gained national attention last year when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed during a January game in Cincinnati. Bronny James, son of LeBron James, also suffered a cardiac arrest event where an AED was credited with helping save his life.
Ward, whose father died of sudden cardiac arrest in 2016, formed the Make Them Know Your Name Foundation in his honor. The foundation, which works to support cardiovascular care and awareness, is funding the AEDs.
About 350,000 people experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital each year, and 90% of them will not survive, according to the American Heart Association. Defibrillators increase the odds of survival. The devices analyze heart rhythm and can deliver an electrical shock when necessary.
