Cardiac Information

Basketball is a hugely enjoyable physical activity that challenges teamwork, skill and physical ability.  However, for a small proportion of the population there may be an underlying cardiac issue that if undiagnosed, may result in a sudden cardiac incident.

Did you know?

• 1 in 100 young individuals have a cardiac condition which will require monitoring and could cause health problems later in life.

• Every week in the UK, 12 fit and young healthy young people under the age of 35 die of undiagnosed cardiac conditions.

• 1 in 300 young individuals have a potentially life-threatening cardiac condition. 

Basketball England would like to acknowledge these risks but also propose management strategies for all members to follow to reduce risks if an incident were to occur. 

If you are affected by a sudden cardiac death, Cardiac Risk in the Young (www.c-r-y.org.uk) have a lot of information supporting families, friends, colleagues etc. following an incident. 

What actions can help?

• CPR training for as many individuals as possible is recommended.

• Face-to-face First Aid and CPR courses for coaches; online courses do not allow for quality teaching of CPR.

• Semi-Automated and Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are key to successful outcomes for individuals that have a sudden cardiac event. There's more information on AEDs below.

• Defibs should be accessible within one minute of the court/gym to get the best outcome. 

What can players do?

• Maintain a full and healthy lifestyle.

• Don’t play if you're under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

• Get a cardiac screen.

• Be aware of your nearest AED.

• If you are overly breathless, have any chest pain or are generally feeling under the weather, consult your GP before playing.

• If a close family member has died of a cardiac issue under the age of 50 then see your GP for further tests to see if you are at risk of a cardiac issue. 

What can clubs do?

• Have an AED either courtside or within one minute of the court. 

• Check pads and batteries regularly to see they are in date. 

• Conduct face-to-face First Aid training with practical CPR element. 

• Place notices courtside highlighting the position and location of the nearest AED, plus how to access it if locked.

• If you do not have an AED on site, please go to www.defibfinder.uk to see where your nearest AED is and check that is it both present and how to access it. 

• If you do not have a defib near the court, there are some options:

• • Get sponsorship or funding to purchase one. 

• • Look for local grants to help purchase one.

• • Conduct a fundraiser to help purchase one.  

• • Encourage cardiac screening of all players.

Accessing a Defibrillator

• The charity London Hearts offer practical advice on funding for a defib and a currently have an offer of £660 (+VAT) (RRP £1127.00) for a defib.
  
  
• The British Heart Foundation have an opportunity to apply for funding for a free defibrillator.
  
  
• AEDdonate offer support to help you fund, maintain and register public access defibrillators.
  
  
• The department of Health & Social Care have opportunities to apply for defib funding.
  
  
• Find out more about defibrillators on our dedicated web page.

Learning to save a life

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is the key to starting to get an individual back to life after a cardiac arrest. 

Once started, CPR will buy time for this individual before an AED or other medical services arrives.

There are a number of places where you can learn to do CPR with a proportion of these being online learning, however we strongly recommend face-to-face first aid training with extra CPR and defib training as you can get assessed in your ability to conduct good CPR plus find out exactly how it feels on a dummy.

Online courses include: 

• Resuscitation Council UK is the government body tasked with researching fully and advising on best practice for saving lives. They have a section on ‘How to do CPR’.
• Interactive Films from the Resus Council gives the chance for online learning in a more realistic manner.
• British Heart Foundation is a charity dedicated to heart related issues and fundraises to raise awareness. Their page is dedicated to saving lives also includes how to use an AED.
• UK Coaching – Sudden Cardiac Arrest e-Learning

Face-to-face courses:

• St Johns Ambulance

Further resources for clubs

• Resus Council - How to do CPR poster
  
  
• Resus Council - Adult Basic Life Support poster
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  Resus Council - Child Basic Life Support poster

More Information

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