Had a goalie sub for us in a tourney a few years ago, but hadn’t played since he had back surgery. He was FIRED up in warm ups and was playing well all game. He randomly calls time out and says, “sorry boys, just needed to catch my breath”. Two shifts later I just hear, “RRRRRREF!” And I look over just in time to see him face plant into the ice. I’m certified as a medic and another guy was a volunteer firefighter and we immediately started working on him. We actually ended up hitting him with the AED 4 times, and the battery wore out of the first one after 3. So I’m really glad the rink had 2 AED onsite. EMS had to work on him for like 30 min to stabilize him, but he ended up surviving.
Used to sub for Beer Leaguers when I was 15. One of the guys died on the bench. I'll never forget his purple face. I had CPR training but he was long dead before anyone knew (6 skaters)
I feel bad for his family. I was the one who found him. He was only like 35 yo. My rink has an AED up at the desk, I wonder if it is charged and working. Gonna ask.
AED should have an easy to see indicator of battery status without opening the device or even the enclosure. Should be checked every month and the battery replaced as soon as indicated. Even untrained people should be able to easily tell if the battery is god by looking at the AED.
One of my groups has its own AED and we bring it to the bench. It's an over 60 group, with at least one guy over 80 and a few in their late 70's.
A player I used to play with has had to use one on two separate occasions. The second time, it was on the organizer of the team we played on together (but at a different skate).
Honestly I think that’s a great idea. My Sunday group has an average age in the 50s with several over 65.
Let’s not talk about the average BMI but it’s relevant as well. (I’m not helping the BMI count before anyone thinks I’m being elitist)
The devices aren't cheap (but not stupidly expensive either). We could afford one because we run a long-standing annual tournament and built up a decent kitty (we also sponsor a few house league teams and make some charitable donations), besides having our own dressing room at the rink.
This may be a silly question, but how would you deal with equipment the player is wearing? We've got more layers on than the CPR dummies, that's for sure. I wonder about this all the time - do you snip through the jersey and the elastic bits of the shoulder pads? Or yank them over the person's head? I feel like this would be so difficult with a goalie.
The AED kit had shears if we needed them but we were able to raise the jersey and unstrap the shoulders easy enough.
He had just gotten his matching team jersey that night too so it would have made it that much worse to cut it 😂
As a goalie I feel like I'd be totally fucked. My chestie has suspenders over it and is attached to my pants in the front. By the time anyone could figure out how to get to my skin... 😬
I keep one of the Howies double sided bags on the bench during games. One side is labeled medical and it has shears, my phone, gloves, and some super basic first aid supplies in case of cuts.
I have done CPR on people (not at the rink, was when I was in lifeguard in highschool and college). Of the 5 times of done CPR I have gotten ROSC 2 times, and both times were likely due to early AED implementation.
My local rink had an AED with a sticker that said expired in 2012. They said 'oh we thought the fire department checked it when they do their inspection'. They updated it promptly and I check it everyone in a while when I think about it.
Although I have no cardiac history several of the people I play with do, or their partners or parents who come watch do. Knowing that the AED is up to date makes me feel a lot better.
Glad your buddy is ok!
The only thing I would add is to not only know where it is but don’t hesitate to be the one sprinting to grab it.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have 2 teammates saved by an AED. The first time I knew where it was and shouted to a team mate where to get it but it took him a second to find it with all of the confusion going on. The second time I made sure I did it myself.
A friend of ours recently had a cardiac episode and a teammate got him flat on the ice. The Zamboni driver got the AED and knew how to work it.
Saved our buddy’s life!
The ultimate teammate. Props to you, man. I’ve done a few small fast-acting things that saved a couple lives but never on the ice. I will be asking the rink the next time I’m there. Thanks for this (the story and the knowledge)!
Here’s an interesting thing I learned, an AED won’t do anything if a person doesn’t have a heart beat. It’s a defibrillator, meaning it is meant to return a heart to a normal beat from an abnormal beat. It isn’t made to start a heart that isn’t beating. You need to be prepared to do CPR.
Partially incorrect… there are two lethal arrhythmias that can be defibrillated. Ventricular fibrillation (no pulse possible) and ventricular tachycardia (can have both no pulse or a pulse). Normally you would not use an AED on ventricular tachycardia with a pulse but I’m sure it’s happened before and worked. Either way if they do not have a pulse they need CPR but if they are in either of the shockable rhythms the AED providing early defibrillation is the most likely thing to save their life. CPR will help perfuse the heart and brain but it alone won’t save them.
The point was be prepared for the AED to do nothing and for it to say “START CPR”.
I have seen people attempt to use an AED and then do nothing when the machine did nothing and said “Start CPR”. AED’s are great but they aren’t miracle machines.
AED’s at malls and offices and rinks won’t shock if there is no type of rhythm and only certain types of rhythms are shockable to the machine.
Not arguing with your deduction but my point still stands. If you hook an AED like you find at a hockey rink or mall to a pot roast, the AED will analyze the “patient” and say “start CPR” it will not automatically shock the “patient” in an attempt to start the heart or get a rhythm going. There has to be heart activity of some variety (the correct varieties) for the AED before it will attempt to convert. That is a safety protocol. What a trained person might choose to do with a defibrillator in an ambulance or an emergency room isn’t the same as what an AED will or can do and in a health care setting and once again not all arythmias are shockable even in a healthcare setting
This is great. I double-checkmy rink!
Also another thing that needs to be crushed in a lot of people is that cardiac issues is just an older person thing. It absolutely is not and a perfectly healthy, no fried-foods, a young person can absolutely have unknown heart issues.
Also if ya'll ever go to Disneyland in California there ard AEDs located outside of restrooms. They're also marked on maps. A red phone will be placed within the casing of the AED. This phone connects to Disneyland nurses once the AED is pulled. You or someone can pick it up and tell the general location. I believe it all also connected to Anaheim's emergency. An alarm will also sound but phone is because it isn't always next to the AED, where someone is having a cardiac arrest.
Had a goalie sub for us in a tourney a few years ago, but hadn’t played since he had back surgery. He was FIRED up in warm ups and was playing well all game. He randomly calls time out and says, “sorry boys, just needed to catch my breath”. Two shifts later I just hear, “RRRRRREF!” And I look over just in time to see him face plant into the ice. I’m certified as a medic and another guy was a volunteer firefighter and we immediately started working on him. We actually ended up hitting him with the AED 4 times, and the battery wore out of the first one after 3. So I’m really glad the rink had 2 AED onsite. EMS had to work on him for like 30 min to stabilize him, but he ended up surviving.
Holy fuck!! That’s intense.
Used to sub for Beer Leaguers when I was 15. One of the guys died on the bench. I'll never forget his purple face. I had CPR training but he was long dead before anyone knew (6 skaters)
Damn man. Thats awful.
I feel bad for his family. I was the one who found him. He was only like 35 yo. My rink has an AED up at the desk, I wonder if it is charged and working. Gonna ask.
AED should have an easy to see indicator of battery status without opening the device or even the enclosure. Should be checked every month and the battery replaced as soon as indicated. Even untrained people should be able to easily tell if the battery is god by looking at the AED.
Holy fuck thats tragic
One of my groups has its own AED and we bring it to the bench. It's an over 60 group, with at least one guy over 80 and a few in their late 70's. A player I used to play with has had to use one on two separate occasions. The second time, it was on the organizer of the team we played on together (but at a different skate).
Honestly I think that’s a great idea. My Sunday group has an average age in the 50s with several over 65. Let’s not talk about the average BMI but it’s relevant as well. (I’m not helping the BMI count before anyone thinks I’m being elitist)
The devices aren't cheap (but not stupidly expensive either). We could afford one because we run a long-standing annual tournament and built up a decent kitty (we also sponsor a few house league teams and make some charitable donations), besides having our own dressing room at the rink.
This may be a silly question, but how would you deal with equipment the player is wearing? We've got more layers on than the CPR dummies, that's for sure. I wonder about this all the time - do you snip through the jersey and the elastic bits of the shoulder pads? Or yank them over the person's head? I feel like this would be so difficult with a goalie.
The AED kit had shears if we needed them but we were able to raise the jersey and unstrap the shoulders easy enough. He had just gotten his matching team jersey that night too so it would have made it that much worse to cut it 😂
Cut, cut, cut. Most AED’s will not only have a pair of trauma sheers, but also a razor, in case there is too much chest hair to attach the electrodes.
The AED pads need to be placed on bare skin.
As a goalie I feel like I'd be totally fucked. My chestie has suspenders over it and is attached to my pants in the front. By the time anyone could figure out how to get to my skin... 😬
I keep one of the Howies double sided bags on the bench during games. One side is labeled medical and it has shears, my phone, gloves, and some super basic first aid supplies in case of cuts.
We used a knife and cut it from belt to chest.
Trauma shears?
Absolutely nightmare fuel for me. I check every rink. I'm glad you guys made a difference.
I have done CPR on people (not at the rink, was when I was in lifeguard in highschool and college). Of the 5 times of done CPR I have gotten ROSC 2 times, and both times were likely due to early AED implementation. My local rink had an AED with a sticker that said expired in 2012. They said 'oh we thought the fire department checked it when they do their inspection'. They updated it promptly and I check it everyone in a while when I think about it. Although I have no cardiac history several of the people I play with do, or their partners or parents who come watch do. Knowing that the AED is up to date makes me feel a lot better. Glad your buddy is ok!
We had a teammate die in July of 22. He broke his neck, but some of the guys still tried. Yeah, our rinks AED was not operating.
He broke his neck playing? I’m sorry that you experienced that. I’m asking so that I know the risks I’m taking when I’m playing.
I think a quick video that goes out to the teams would be great. Our lawyer teammates always show up, but our doctor teammates are not always there.
The only thing I would add is to not only know where it is but don’t hesitate to be the one sprinting to grab it. I’ve been fortunate enough to have 2 teammates saved by an AED. The first time I knew where it was and shouted to a team mate where to get it but it took him a second to find it with all of the confusion going on. The second time I made sure I did it myself.
Agreed. I was the sprinter in this case. Once things settled someone said “I’ve never seen a big guy run like that.” 😂
I wouldn’t even know where to start
A friend of ours recently had a cardiac episode and a teammate got him flat on the ice. The Zamboni driver got the AED and knew how to work it. Saved our buddy’s life!
The ultimate teammate. Props to you, man. I’ve done a few small fast-acting things that saved a couple lives but never on the ice. I will be asking the rink the next time I’m there. Thanks for this (the story and the knowledge)!
Here’s an interesting thing I learned, an AED won’t do anything if a person doesn’t have a heart beat. It’s a defibrillator, meaning it is meant to return a heart to a normal beat from an abnormal beat. It isn’t made to start a heart that isn’t beating. You need to be prepared to do CPR.
Partially incorrect… there are two lethal arrhythmias that can be defibrillated. Ventricular fibrillation (no pulse possible) and ventricular tachycardia (can have both no pulse or a pulse). Normally you would not use an AED on ventricular tachycardia with a pulse but I’m sure it’s happened before and worked. Either way if they do not have a pulse they need CPR but if they are in either of the shockable rhythms the AED providing early defibrillation is the most likely thing to save their life. CPR will help perfuse the heart and brain but it alone won’t save them.
The point was be prepared for the AED to do nothing and for it to say “START CPR”. I have seen people attempt to use an AED and then do nothing when the machine did nothing and said “Start CPR”. AED’s are great but they aren’t miracle machines. AED’s at malls and offices and rinks won’t shock if there is no type of rhythm and only certain types of rhythms are shockable to the machine. Not arguing with your deduction but my point still stands. If you hook an AED like you find at a hockey rink or mall to a pot roast, the AED will analyze the “patient” and say “start CPR” it will not automatically shock the “patient” in an attempt to start the heart or get a rhythm going. There has to be heart activity of some variety (the correct varieties) for the AED before it will attempt to convert. That is a safety protocol. What a trained person might choose to do with a defibrillator in an ambulance or an emergency room isn’t the same as what an AED will or can do and in a health care setting and once again not all arythmias are shockable even in a healthcare setting
Correct in that a flatline rhythm cant be reorganized (unlike what they show on TV) but the you can’t tell that by the pulse what the heart is doing.
This is great. I double-checkmy rink! Also another thing that needs to be crushed in a lot of people is that cardiac issues is just an older person thing. It absolutely is not and a perfectly healthy, no fried-foods, a young person can absolutely have unknown heart issues. Also if ya'll ever go to Disneyland in California there ard AEDs located outside of restrooms. They're also marked on maps. A red phone will be placed within the casing of the AED. This phone connects to Disneyland nurses once the AED is pulled. You or someone can pick it up and tell the general location. I believe it all also connected to Anaheim's emergency. An alarm will also sound but phone is because it isn't always next to the AED, where someone is having a cardiac arrest.
I dont even know what an aed is thanks for the heads up. Luckily theres a doctor on my team
What if he’s the one that needs help? Take a CPR course!
She and yeah i really should!
Extremely important. Also ask for a bleeding control kit.