automatic external defibrillator

With preseason practices now underway and the start of fall sports around the corner, MomsTEAM, along with the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA), recommends that athletic health care providers conduct a "Time Out" before athletic events to ensure that an emergency action plan (EAP) is reviewed and in place.

Young baseball and softball players who receive direct ball impact to the chest wall directly over the heart may develop sudden cardiac arrest, a condition called commotio cordis.  Teaching batters to turn away from an inside pitch, and pitchers to react as quickly as possible to a batted ball hit back at them can help reduce the risk, and an AED and a someone trained in CPR should be on site at all times to increase the chances of survival.