Health & Safety

More and more outbreaks of the antibiotic-resistant skin infection or "super bug" known as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus ("MRSA") are being reported in schools across the nation. Based on reports from the Associated Press, The New York Times, and other newspapers around the country, there were outbreaks or suspected outbreaks of MRSA in October 2007 in a number of states.

Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are manufactured and sold under guidelines issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Current FDA regulations make AEDs, like many drugs, available only to those with a physician's prescription. Simply finding a physician willing to write the necessary prescription, however, is not enough; in order for an AED or Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) program to be safe and effective, the program needs constant oversight by a medical director.

The Chain of Survival is a five-step process for providing treatment to victims of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) developed by the American Heart Association (AHA) in 1990 after several decades of research into SCA. It was designed in recognition of the fact that most episodes of SCA occur outside of a hospital, with death occurring within minutes of onset without treatment. Quick execution of each and every link is critical because the chances of survival decrease 7 to 10% with each passing minute.

When you call 911 it is essential that you stay calm and provide the dispatcher the information she needs to send EMS to the scene as quickly as possible.

In 2010, the American Heart Association (AHA), in order to improve a victim's chances of recovery and to simplify teaching of CPR skills, updated its CPR guidelines.

If your child's ankle gives way more and more easily during sports, and, eventually, during everyday activities, he has developed chronic ankle instability. Often times, such instability is the result of an ankle sprain that has not been allowed to fully heal. Repeated ankle sprains cause a loss of proprioception (communication between the central nervous system and the muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the ankle), which, in turn can lead to faulty technique or a sudden loss of control or balance, either of which can, in turn, lead to even more sprains! If your child has a chronically unstable ankle, sports medicine experts say that a rehabilitation program supervised by a physical therapist is absolutely essential.

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is an electrical malfunction of the heart which causes the heart to beat in an abnormal, chaotic rhythm called ventricular fibrillation (VF). The heart then loses its ability to effectively pump blood.

Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) may be used for children 1 to 8 years of age who have no signs of circulation. Ideally the device should deliver a pediatric dose.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest and a heart attack have different symptoms, causes, and treatment.

There are many AED products on the market. The "best" AED is the one that is closest in the event of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). No AED has been proven to be scientifically superior to the others and, because of the nature of the product, it is unlikely that there will ever be a Consumer Reports-type rating of these medical devices.