Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (CERP)

This Cardiac Emergency Response Plan is adopted by Westminster School District effective December 20, 2023.

A cardiac emergency requires immediate action. Cardiac emergencies may arise as a result of a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) or a heart attack but can have other causes. SCA is a life-
threatening emergency that occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating often without  warning. SCA occurs because of a malfunction in the heart’s electrical system or structure. The
malfunction is caused by an abnormality the person is born with, a condition that develops as young hearts grow, a virus in the heart, or a hard blow to the chest that causes a malfunction that can lead to SCA. With the heart’s pumping action disrupted, the heart cannot
pump blood to the brain, lungs, and other organs. Seconds later, a person loses consciousness and has no pulse. Death occurs within minutes if the victim does not receive treatment

Warning signs and risk factors. Although SCA sometimes happens unexpectedly, some people
may have warning signs or symptoms, such as:

• Fainting or seizure, especially during or right after exercise;
• Fainting repeatedly or with excitement or startle;
• Excessive shortness of breath during exercise;
• Racing or fluttering heart palpitations or irregular heartbeat;
• Repeated dizziness or lightheadedness;
• Chest pain or discomfort with exercise; and/or
• Excessive, unexpected fatigue during or after exercise.
Signs of Sudden Cardiac Arrest can include one or more of the following:

• Not moving, unresponsive or unconscious, or
• Not breathing normally (i.e., may have irregular breathing, gasping or gurgling or
may not be breathing at all), or
• Seizure or convulsion-like activity.

An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a lightweight, portable device that delivers an electric shock through the chest to the heart. The shock can potentially stop an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) and allow a normal rhythm to resume following SCA. (American Heart Association, What Is an Automated External Defibrillator? At https://www.heart.org/-/media/Files/Health-Topics/Answers-by-Heart/What-is-an-AED.pdf). The heart must be “defibrillated” quickly, because a victim’s chance of surviving drops by seven to 10 percent for every minute a normal heartbeat isn’t restored.