Pa. Governor Signs Sudden Cardiac Arrest Law for Youth Athletes
By Bryan Toporek — June 07, 2012 1 min read
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett signed a law last week designed to protect student-athletes from heart failure, a measure that closely mirrors the state's youth-concussion law passed in November of last year.
The "Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act," which goes into effect before the start of the 2012-13 school year, requires schools to issue an information sheet to parents of student-athletes about warning signs and symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest. Parents must sign and return the form to the school before their children can participate in athletics.
Like the concussion law, the newly approved measure requires that any student-athlete who exhibits symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest during an athletic activity be removed from play immediately. Furthermore, a student-athlete must be held out of all athletic activities if he or she exhibits any signs of cardiac arrest before or after an event.
Before returning to the playing field, student-athletes with symptoms of cardiac arrest must receive medical clearance from a licensed physician, certified registered nurse practitioner, or cardiologist, according to the new law.
"Being sidelined for a game is better than being lost forever," said Corbett at last week's signing ceremony, according to the
Bryan Toporek
A version of this news article first appeared in the Schooled in Sports blog.
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