Our Latest Endorsement
Professor Christopher Semsarian
MB BS PhD FRACP FAHA FCSANZ
Cardiologist, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
Head, Agnes Ginges Centre for Molecular Cardiology
Assistant Director, Centenary Institute
September 23, 2011
Mr Andrew White
Founder
Defib Your Club, For Life
Dear Andrew,
I write this brief note to congratulate you on establishing the Defib Your Club, For Life initiative, and the phenomenal progress you have made in such a short period of time. We are united in our passion to prevent sudden cardiac death, particularly in the young. As you know, we run a research program focused on the genetic basis of sudden cardiac death, which includes prevention strategies.
Amongst many achievements to date, I particularly congratulate you on two major ones, although clearly both need ongoing and increased support. First, through your initiative, you have already raised greater community awareness regarding sudden cardiac death in the young. The community are always shocked when a young rising football star collapses on the field, unexpectedly, and dies. It is a devastating tragedy not only for the immediate family, but also the entire community. Your effort to raise community awareness of this major health problem is to be commended. Second, there is now good evidence internationally that public access defibrillators help save lives in the community. Your mission to have defibrillators in all AFL sporting clubs in Victoria is long overdue and an incredibly important effort. Such a program will save young lives, and will likely be a benchmark for rolling out similar programs in other Australian states.
Sudden cardiac death in the young is a tragedy, but it can be prevented. I congratulate you for your dedication, commitment and passion for this cause in establishing the Defib Your Club, For Life program, and wish you every success as the defibrillators are rolled out and community awareness grows. Needless to say, I am very supportive of your efforts and happy to help out at any stage.
Best wishes,
Sincerely,
Professor Chris Semsarian
University of Sydney, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Australia
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Sports Medicine Australia - Media Release
Media release
September 2, 2011
Governments need to step up: defibrillators will save sporting lives
Sports Medicine Australia in partnership with Defib Your Club, For Life! is calling for the mandatory placement of defibrillators in all sporting clubs and facilities in the wake of the recent tragic death of Nathan Prince.
Statistics show that one in every 1,000 persons has an undiagnosed heart complaint, and a cardiac arrest can occur without prior warning signs or symptoms. About 30,000 Australians die of sudden cardiac arrest each year.
Sports Medicine Australia Chief Executive Officer, Nello Marino commended those clubs who have been proactive and equipped themselves with defibrillators however says more needs to be done and called on all stakeholders including government, sporting associations, venue operators and clubs to address the issue with some urgency.
“Currently early defibrillation seems to be the weakest link in Australian sporting clubs, and more often than not a missing link due to lack of funding. Key stakeholders need to step up, take some responsibility and do their bit to equip every sporting club or venue,” said Mr Marino.
“Defibrillators are relatively cheap and make a big impact in the crucial moments following cardiac arrest. It should be a no-brainer that to provide the upmost safety to players at sporting clubs defibrillators are needed. How many more tragic outcomes need to occur before this is realised?” said Mr Marino.
Andrew White, an ambulance paramedic for over 20 years and Founding Director of Defib Your Club, For Life!, a not for profit organisation established to help reduce the number of cardiac related deaths at sporting venues, hopes this recent tragic death shines a spotlight on the importance of defibrillation.
“The evidence of the effectiveness of defibrillators is compelling. For every minute that passes following sudden cardiac arrest there is about a 10 per cent decrease in survival rate. By 10 minutes there is only a very remote chance of survival.
“The earlier a person receives defibrillation, the higher the chance of survival, therefore early intervention is most likely to have the best outcome,” said Mr White.
The past few years has seen many instances where cardiac arrest has claimed lives fielding sporting settings in a similar fashion to Nathan.
“None of these players had a defibrillator immediately available. Their chance of survival would have been increased had defibrillators been in place,” said Mr White.
“Sporting clubs need to be empowered to react to their own cardiac emergency armed with the appropriate equipment, skill and understanding to do so prior to ambulance arrival.
Both Sports Medicine Australia and Defib Your Club, For Life! said the message to key sporting stakeholders was simple, “the more defibrillators out there, the more lives that will be saved.”
In addition to defibrillators, Sports Medicine Australia recommends all sporting clubs need to ensure they have adequately trained personnel on the sidelines to ensure players receive appropriate medical care when injured playing sport.
Media enquiries:
Amanda Boshier, National Media Manager, phone 03 9674 8703, mobile 0412 224 729.
Media interviews:
Andrew White, Founding Director, Defib Your Club, For Life! 0414 581 783
Nello Marino, Chief Executive Officer, Sports Medicine Australia, phone 03 9674 8711
Background information:
Defib Your Club, For Life! is a not for profit organisation established to help reduce the number of cardiac related deaths at sporting venues following the tragic death of a 19 year old Rupertswood footballer in May 2010. The organisation’s goal is to put as many defibrillators in to clubs as possible and to empower clubs to react to their own cardiac emergency armed with the appropriate equipment, skill and understanding to do so prior to ambulance arrival. Website: www.defibforlife.org.au
Sports Medicine Australia SMA is Australia’s peak body for sports medicine, sports science and sports injury prevention and acts as Australia’s peak advisory body on all medical and health issues for active people. Website: www.sma.org.au
Calls for Life-Saving Defibrillators at Sports Clubs.
July 19, 2011. Yahoo!7
To watch this News Article please go to the following link: 7 News Article
There are fresh calls for defibrillators to be put in every Victorian sports club after a 13-year-old boy went into cardiac arrest on the footy field. Troy Wright never imagined he would have a heart attack before his 14th birthday. But on Friday, an undiagnosed heart condition nearly claimed his life when he had a cardiac arrest playing footy in Narre Warren.
The game was in its third quarter when Troy suddenly collapsed. "I just blinked and felt dizzy then fell to the ground," he told 7News. Paramedics arrived just in time, and he was rushed to hospital.
His father Paul said: "You know I saw something that parents don't ever want to see, them working on him in the back of the ambulance, giving him chest compressions." Troy is now recovering in hospital, but his family say he was minutes from death.
Sue Buckman's 19-year-old son, Stephen, wasn't so lucky. He died of a heart attack during a football game in May last year, and Sue says a heart defibrillator could have saved his life.
"You think that you'll lose someone from a car accident, but never ever from a heart condition on the football ground," she said.
Sue has now joined a campaign to have defibrillators put in every Victorian sport club.
"If we had a defibrillator, we may have had a different outcome," she said. MICA paramedic Andrew White started his campaign, Defib your club, for life, to stress the importance of defibrillators and why all sports clubs should have one. The life-saving machine kick starts the heart during cardiac arrest. Andrew said: "For every one minute post collapse relates to a ten percent chance less survival so it's really important within the first five minutes."
"If it has to get used once it's saved a life," Sue said. "Then another family won't have to go through what my family has been through." South East Junior's General Manager Shaun Connell said the league is looking to equip each of its clubs with the life-saving device.
He said: "They are a costly unit, but what price do you put on a kids life?" While Troy is out of immediate danger, he has still got a way go. He will undergo an operation later this week where surgeons will attach an artery from his chest to his heart. Assistant Professor Sarah Hope, of the Monash Medical Centre, said: "There is the potential for him to get back to normal life, after it's been treated."
AV Crusader for Early Defibrillation
Cardiac arrest is a silent, sudden and indiscriminate killer and you'd think that no one would know this better than a paramedic. However it took the death of a young football player from his son's club for this and the importance of early defibrillation to hit home with Gisborne Team Manager Andrew White.
In May 2010 19-year-old Stephen Buckman collapsed and died from a cardiac arrest during training at the Rupertswood Football Club. Andrew was off-duty at the club and assisted in the mammoth effort undertaken to try to save Stephen's life, which included nearly two hours of CPR. In Stephen's case a defibrillator wasn't available for 22 minutes. Had one been available within the first five minutes his outcome could have been very different.
Andrew, a paramedic for 20 years said, "i'd been to hundreds of cardiac arrests and you're not affected by it, you go on to the next job, you don't appreciate the impact until you're a part of it".
'i cam to understand the effect of a cardiac arrest on the larger community; it affects more than just the family. The feeling of loss runs deep into the club, the players and the community surrounding the club.' It was this effect on his local community and knowing what a difference access to a defibrillator could have made that inspired Andrew to do something about increasing the availability of defibrillators in football clubs.
'We are aiming to get defibrillators in public places, schools, sporting clubs, even private homes across the nation, but we need to start with something we can manage so I chose to work with football clubs.
'footy Clubs are very much the centre of the community in the country not just for sports such as soccer, football and netball but also social activities. These venues are well attended and often highly populated.'
Andrew then sought sponsorship from private corporations which lead him to Bendigo Bank who have agreed to help Andrew's group with their fundraising and to include their message in a media campaign. Andrew also has the support of the VAFA and VCFL and a leading cardiologist from the Austin Hospital.
'The story needs to get out there, what sudden cardiac arrest means and that early defibrillation is the key to survival,' said Andrew and to this end his committee's goal is to continue to create awareness, coordinate fundraising and help develop sponsorship opportunities.
When asked what his AV colleagues could do if they wish to support him he said, 'I'd be really keen to see the local amebas go to their clubs and discuss defibrillators with them. We don't know when the arrest will be, it's not just over 50 males who will be affected'
Image Credit: The Sunbury Weekly and Matthew Furneaux (photographer)
by Paige Mason.
Hume Leader, 31 May 2011.
ALMOST a year after Rupertswood footballer Stephen Buckman died at training, his legacy lives on.
Donations for defibrillators are pouring in after the launch of a not-for-profit group last weekend.
Sports fields in Sunbury and Craigieburn will benefit from the donations to Defib For Life, a group established by Gisborne MICA paramedic Andrew White, who was off-duty at the Rupertswood Football Club the night 19-year-old Stephen died after suffering a cardiac arrest at training.
“I’ve defibrillated hundreds of people and seen the benefit early defibrillation brings,” he said.
Craigieburn company Securency International Pty Ltd will donate up to seven defibrillators.
Sunbury’s Bendigo Bank Helping Hand group will donate 12 machines.
Buckley’s Entertainment Group in Geelong will donate 36 defibrillators for the country football league.
“We have the potential to receive more than $100,000 in sponsorship and we haven’t even started to campaign,” Mr White said.
“We’ve had nothing but good feedback and great support.”
Clubs can use the program’s website to register their interest in having a defibrillator, and people can register their interest in sponsoring defibrillators.
Without a defibrillator there is a 7 per cent chance of surviving a cardiac arrest, while at the MCG, where defibrillators are accessible, there is an 85 per cent survival rate, Mr White said.
FOOTY'S HEART STARTER
Sunbury Leader: Tuesday, April 12, 2011.
BY KELLY SAMMUT
TRAGEDY on Sunbury and Gisborne football fields has led to a local campaign for defibrillators to be placed at every football and sporting club in the state.
The brainchild of Gisborne MICA paramedic Andrew White, Defib Your Club for Life will be launched this month. He is calling on the state and local government to match the money raised by the community and sponsors to fund the life-saving devices.
Mr White was off-duty at the Rupertswood Football Club the night 19-year-old Stephen Buckman collapsed at training.
“Unfortunately for Stephen, there wasn’t a defibrillator for 20 minutes (until an ambulance arrived),” Mr White said.
“In Geelong, Dr Geoff Allen collapsed before a game and was defibrillated within three minutes and survived. On the back of numerous jobs in my 20 years as a paramedic the key is early defib.”
While the short-term vision for Defib Your Club for Life is to put a defibrillator in every football clubroom in Victoria, in the long term Mr White wants to see them in every sporting club as well as central places such as a post office or a chemist.
Macedon state Labor MP Joanne Duncan drew attention to the campaign in parliament last week, calling on Health Minister David Davis to allocate funding in the budget.
“This is about putting defibrillators in locations that will maximise their availability, particularly in rural areas,” Ms Duncan said. “At about $2400 a unit, the defibrillators would be rolled out to local governments, with each municipality having about 30 units.”
Gisborne Football Club president Phil Crosbie said following the loss of under-18s coach Steve Simpson last month, the club would receive two donated units from St Mary’s Medical Clinic and Defibtech, one for each of the club’s grounds.
“Steve would not have been saved by a defibrillator but it has made us stand up and be proactive about being prepared for any circumstance,” he said.
Hume Councillor Jack Ogilvie said the campaign had his support.
Defib Your Club for Life will launch a website in coming weeks.
Picture: Dennis Manktelow
DEFIBRILLATOR INITIATIVE
House ASSEMBLY
Activity Adjournment
Members DUNCAN
Date 5 April 2011
Page 66
5 April 2011 ASSEMBLY
Page 66
Sport: defibrillator initiative
Ms DUNCAN (Macedon) -- I raise a matter for the attention of the Minister for Health. The action I seek from him is the funding of an initiative that will deliver defibrillators for sporting clubrooms across the state at a cost to the state government of approximately $2 million.
Andrew White is a mobile intensive care ambulance paramedic in Gisborne, and his vision, brought about by his own work experiences, would see 700 to 800 defibrillators installed in football clubrooms which are well used by football, cricket and netball teams and their supporter groups and which are used for many social functions. This is about putting defibrillators in locations that will maximise their availability, particularly in rural areas.
Andrew raised this initiative with me last year following the death of a young man named Stephen Buckman in May after a sudden cardiac arrest while training with the Rupertswood Football Club. Andrew attended Stephen, and this experience motivated him to pursue this initiative. As Sue Buckman, Stephen's mother, said: 'This initiative is to prevent this happening to any other mother'. Since Stephen's death we have had another sudden death, that of 52-year-old Steve Simpson, who was training the Gisborne under 18s. Contrast this with the survival of Dr Geoff Allen, a 49-year-old who was defibrillated within 3 minutes of his cardiac arrest. It is these cases and many thousands like them that motivate Andrew White.
Late last year the Brumby government announced funding to place 150 defibrillators in public places as part of an $8.2 million package aimed at increasing the survival rate of heart attack victims, having previously installed public access defibrillators in over 20 venues across the state, including Melbourne Airport and the Shrine of Remembrance, to name a few. We need to continue this rollout of automatic external defibrillators.
A study into sudden cardiac arrest outcomes at the MCG and the Shrine of Remembrance, Parliament of Victoria - Hansard Search published in 2000, supports this case. It concluded that a massive 85.7 per cent success rate was achieved for patients who received early defibrillation after sudden cardiac arrest. Given that the standard ambulance response time is 10 to 12 minutes, it is very rare that an ambulance crew will be on the scene within the first 5 minutes after a cardiac arrest. A sufferer's chance of survival drops by a massive 10 per cent in each minute that passes without defibrillation.
Andrew believes this initiative would be a partnership between the state and local governments and the private sector. At approximately $2400 per unit, the defibrillators would be rolled out to local governments, with each municipality having approximately 30 units. Andrew believes this will allow for a good saturation of automated external defibrillators throughout each community. Some municipalities may require more and others less, depending on their size. Andrew White has named this initiative Defib Your Club, for Life!, and he has already done an enormous amount of work to achieve his vision. The action I am seeking on his behalf from the Minister for Health is for the government to allocate a budget that supports the fundraising efforts of Defib Your Club for Life!
13 NEEDLESS DEATHS
THIRTEEN amateur football players - seemingly fit and healthy young men - have dropped dead during games or at training in the past 11 years. And though the state's top heart doctors say that sudden cardiac death is rare, they say a more rigorous screening program could save lives.
Cardiac arrest and pre-existing heart conditions were the causes for the majority of those deaths since 2000, with the average victim aged 23. The most recent tragedy was the death of Vincent Bonanno, 22, who collapsed after a break in an intra-club match on March 6.
MonashHeart director Prof Ian Meredith said all young athletes - not just footballers - were at risk of the rare but fatal condition."It's a low-incidence event, but what makes it high-impact is that it's young, otherwise healthy individuals who die," Prof Meredith said. "Both the US and Italy run screening programs for high school athletes, and it isn't a bad idea to have it here, but it's not necessarily cost-effective. There's certainly evidence they do help to reduce these rare but life-threatening events."
In the meantime, Prof Meredith said young athletes should be tested if they experience exercise-induced dizziness, rapid palpitations, fainting after exercise or have a family history of cardiac problems. Sue Buckman, whose 19-year-old son Stephen Buckman died after collapsing at football training in May last year, is campaigning to have a defibrillator at every football club. Ms Buckman and off-duty MICA paramedic Andrew White, who worked on Stephen after he collapsed, have sent a proposal to the State Government to have defibrillators at all of Victoria's 750 football clubs.
"He was fit, healthy, a strapping young man. There were no warning signs, he'd never had any heart problems," Ms Buckman said. "You can't predict these things and that's why a defibrillator should be in every football club, just like a first aid kit." Stephen's 14-year-old sister has since been fitted with a permanent defibrillator after being diagnosed with the same condition that killed him.
Paramedics used a defibrillator to restart Ben Higgins' heart after he was clinically dead for 12 minutes on the football field in 2006. Mr Higgins, now 33 and a father, had a ventricular fibrillation arrest - similar to a heart attack - the result of an undiagnosed genetic condition.
Despite spending 36 hours in an induced coma and having a triple heart bypass, he counts himself lucky. "It's hard to accept that every part of your life has changed, but I'm still here," he said. "After speaking to doctors, I did have warning signs about a year before. There were a couple of instances at half-time, feeling dizzy and nauseous and the eyes going a bit funny - they reckon they were signs of what can happen before a heart attack. Other young blokes shouldn't palm it off if they feel like that."
oconnellb@heraldsun.com.au
PICTURE:Ian Currie Herald Sun
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/clubs-must-act-to-cut-footy-deaths/story-fn6bfmgc-1226024600447
PRESS RELEASE
Defibrillators in Public Places
During the past week newspaper reports have appeared that raises concern as to the placement of Automated External Defibrillators in public places, in this case railway stations in Sydney. In these articles it is stated that these defibrillators are complex devices to use, CitiRail staff may be held liable and questioning the cost.
The Australian Resuscitation Council (ARC) – Australia’s peak body on issues relating to resuscitation – refutes the claims made in these articles. The provision of defibrillators in public places - a concept internationally known as Public Access Defibrillation - is now widespread in many places throughout the world including the United Kingdom, Europe, USA and in every State or Territory in Australia. These devices are easy to use and are now regarded as part of basic CPR training.
Evidence from a number of studies has clearly shown a greater chance of survival from cardiac arrest in places where defibrillators are publically available. Places where defibrillators have been located include airports, casinos, football stadiums, shopping centres and work locations. Have a closer look when next you are at an airport or shopping centre!!
The ARC unequivocally supports public access defibrillation and would congratulate RailCorp in undertaking this important public health initiative.
Associate Professor Ian Jacobs
Chairman
12 September 2008
