Health Alert!

There are cases of chicken pox (varicella) occurring. If your child has not had chicken pox, or their second dose of the varicella vaccine, it is recommendedyou check with your health care provider.

Two AEDS's Installed at Kennedy!

by Ms. Mary Ubl and Ms. Laurel Kuplic, Kennedy Nurses

2/5/09

We now have 2 AED's at Kennedy! One is located in the activity center and one is in the main hall of Kennedy near the gyms and auditorium. We are fortunate to have these life saving machines available for student, staff and the general public's use in a cardiac emergency.

Automated External Defibillators (AED)

Heart disease is the number 1 killer in the United States. Every day, more than 2600 Americans die from cardiovascular disease, which amounts to 1 death every 33 seconds.

Most of these deaths occur with little or no warning, from a syndrome called sudden cardiac arrest. The most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest is a disturbance in the heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation.

Ventricular fibrillation cuts off blood to the brain and other vital organs. Without enough blood these organs start to shut down, or fail. If blood flow is not restored permanent brain damage or death will occur.

Ventricular fibrillation often can be treated successfully by applying an electric shock to the chest with a procedure called defibrillation.

For every minute that a person remains in ventricular fibrillation and defibrillation is not started, the chances of resuscitation drop by almost 10 percent. After 10 minutes, the chances for reviving the person are very poor.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, usually know as CPR, provides temporary artificial Breathing and Circulation.

CPR delivers a limited amount of blood and oxygen to the brain until a defibrillator becomes available.

However, defribrillation is the only effective way to resuscitate a victim of ventricular fibrillation.

How to Operate an Automated External Defibrillator

The only knowledge required to operate it is to press th "ON" button.

Once turned on the AED will speak to you in a computer generated voice that guides you through the rest of the procedure.

You will be prompted to place a set of adhesive electrode pads on the victim's bare chest.

The AED will then begin to automatically analyze the person's ECG rhythm to see if a shock is required. It is critical that no contact is made with the person while the machine is analyzing the ECG. If the person is touched or disturbed, the ECG may not be accurate. The machine will prompt ecah action you will need to do.

If the machine determines a shock is needed, it will automatically tell you to press the button that will deliver the shock.

The machine will tell you if and when you are to resume CPR.

Many times, while watching a sporting event, we witness an athletic injury. From the stands, all we can do is speculate as to what actually occurred. Athletic Trainers, however, get to be right in the mix when an injury happens. Athletic Trainers are medical professionals who specialize in the recognition, treatment, and rehabilitation of injuries, especially those pertaining to sports. The purpose of this blog is to help share some of that expertise in the area of sports injuries.

ACL Injuries by Ethan Formo, Kennedy Athletic Trainer 1/15/09 One of the more common, yet devastating athletic injuries is the tearing of the ACL. Few injuries are able to end an athlete’s season as quickly as a torn ACL. ACL stands for Anterior Cruciate Ligament. It spans the gap between the Femur and Tibia inside the knee. Its purpose is to provide knee stability by preventing the lower leg from sliding forward.

How does an ACL tear happen? Most often it is the result of planting the foot and performing a “cut” (a rapid change of direction). This causes the lower leg to rotate, placing excessive stress on the ACL, resulting in a tear.

An athlete who experiences an ACL tear usually feels a “pop” and then sudden knee pain. Shortly after, swelling will be present in and around the knee. Special tests are used to test the integrity of the ligament and identify any laxity (indicating a tear) or if the structure is firm (no tear).

Initial treatment of an ACL injury includes ice and compression to reduce swelling, as well as a restriction of activity. ACL tears are usually repaired surgically and most injured athletes return to full activity in approximately 6 months. ACL injuries require aggressive physical therapy to rehabilitate the knee and regain full function.

Initially, ACL injuries seem devastating, but many athletes who have experienced them have come back to have very successful careers.

Ethan Formo is a Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) with the Institute for Athletic Medicine.