This article that appeared in the NY Daily News reported that 18 year old Milo Meeks collapsed while playing basketball in his Florida High School. As this is such a new story, we do not yet know any health history this young man may have had which may have predisposed him to suffering from a heart condition.
The article does not mention the intervention of a health care provider in the form of an athletic trainer or the intervention of an AED. As this seems to be an out of season athlete, perhaps if the school did employ an athletic trainer, maybe they had responsibilities to the student athletes who were in season. In any case, this story once again highlights the need for AEDs to be accessible and an educated public as to its' appropriate use. Ultimately, I would really like to state this story perhaps identifies the need for enough qualified health care providers to be employed in any community, school or institution in which student-athletes are participating. While I realize schools will always have the 'fall back' of stating there is not enough money in their budget - I am wondering how many more of these articles we will read in the future before change is made. Mind you, employing a qualified health care provider does not guarantee this will never occur again, or that the outcome will always be different. But, it does assist in knowing the student-athletes are getting the best health care possible. This is something I am sure most parents and athletes themselves would feel comfortable knowing.
