Senator Diegnan believes “life-saving” device can minimize risk of heat stroke in student-athletes (myCentralJersey.com)

By: Greg Tufaro

Sen. Patrick J. Diegnan Jr. held a press conference at Metuchen High School on Wednesday to educate others about the risks of exertional heat stroke and heat exhaustion for student-athletes, but it was the state legislator himself who learned some paramount information about a potentially life-saving device.

Christina Emrich, a veteran athletic trainer at Red Bank Regional High School and president of the Athletic Trainers’ Society of New Jersey, introduced Diegnan during the press conference to a Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) monitor, which experts believe is a better gauge than the heat index in determining potentially hazardous environmental conditions for exercise.

The device is currently used at the professional and collegiate levels, but is not mandatory for NJSIAA member schools, which Diegnan would like to change.

“We’re talking less than $200,000 for the entire state,” Diegnan said of making at least one WBGT monitor, which costs approximately $400, available to New Jersey’s 500 school districts. “To me, it is the definition of a no-brainer. Is it worth $200,000 to save kids’ lives? Absolutely.”

Diegnan said he plans to introduce legislation in the coming months that would require school districts to obtain and use WBGT monitors beginning next year.

“Hopefully we can get it done in the fall and have it signed into law,” Diegnan said. “Let’s get them in the districts by next August.”

Dr. Jack Kripsak, Director of Sports Medicine at Somerset Medical Center who sits on the NJSIAA’s medical advisory board and also serves as the team physician for Bridgewater-Raritan High School, said he knows of at least three school districts in Somerset County who currently use the WBGT monitor.

“The (device) is a wise investment and it should be utilized,” Kripsak said. “It’s a life-saving piece of equipment investment-wise for school districts.”

A WBGT monitor measures ambient temperature, relative humidity, wind and solar radiation from the sun to determine environmental conditions during exercise. The user relies on WBGT guidelines to determine if modifications need to be made for activity such as the removal of equipment, increased hydration breaks, the adjustment of work/rest ratios and shortening the length of or possibly even canceling practice altogether.

Emrich demonstrated the WBGT during Wednesday’s late-morning press conference, at which time she recorded a reading of 85.7 on Metuchen High School’s turf field (artificial surfaces can be at least 10 degrees hotter than grass). The measurement, according to a WBGT grid containing guidelines, indicated that a coach or athletic trainer would “consider rescheduling practice if this (reading) actually happened during the day,” Emrich said.

According to the Kory Stringer institute, established at the University of Connecticut following the death of Stringer, a former Minnesota Vikings football star who died from exertional heat stroke in August 2011, a direct correlation exists between increased temperature and humidity levels and risk of mortality as a result of exertional heat stroke.

Exertional heat stroke is an elevated core body temperature above 103 degrees associated with signs of organ system failure due to hyperthermia. Central nervous system neurologic changes are often the first indication of exertional heat stroke.

Citing National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury research data that heat-related illness claimed the lives of 35 high school football players nationally from 1995 through 2010, Diegnan conducted Wednesday’s press conference to alert student-athletes, parents, coaches, athletic trainers and school administrators about the warning signs and prevention of heat stroke.

“Heat stroke in student-athletes is completely preventable and while New Jersey is at the forefront of athletic training for our high school athletes, we must continue to refine our best practices to ensure we avoid future tragedies while allowing our children the simple joy of competition in sports,” said Diegnan, whose press conference on the topic came less than a week before NJSIAA schools are officially permitted to begin fall sports practices, some of which are conducted during extreme heat in the month of August.

Heightened awareness about the importance of hydration, the increased use of cold-water immersion tubs, the presence of certified athletics trainers at practice (Emrich said approximately 90 percent of NJSIAA member schools have an athletic trainer on site) and the adoption of an “acclimatization period” by football conferences in 11 statewide athletic associations nationwide — including New Jersey — appear to have contributed to reducing the incidence of heat-related illness and death.

Still, exertional heat stroke results in thousands of emergency room visits and hospitalizations throughout the nation each year, Diegnan said.

The NJSIAA was among the first statewide athletic associations in the nation to adopt acclimatization guidelines for football, which state teams cannot wear full pads during the first three days of training camp. In addition, practices cannot exceed five hours and a five-hour practice day may not be followed by a practice day greater than three hours. Warmup, stretching, conditioning, weight training and cool down periods are all considered practice.

Emrich noted that student-athletes in other sports, such as field hockey goaltenders who wear cumbersome equipment, must also consider the risks of practicing in extreme heat.

Some statewide athletics associations encourage, but do not mandate, that practice be canceled when the heat index soars above 100 and that practice time be limited if the heat index rises above 95. The WBGT and its guidelines could replace the heat index in New Jersey, should Diegnan’s bill become law. A reading above 92.1 on the WBGT would indicate practice should be deferred until later in the day.

Dr. Ken Herman, Chief of Emergency Services at J.F.K. Medical Center in Edison, said signs and symptoms of heat-related illness are recognizable and that “the tragedy (of the deaths that have occurred) is that it’s preventable.”

Herman said each August J.F.K. Emergency Services is called upon to treat an athlete who has been subject to excessive heat stress while practicing for high school athletics under conditions of high heat and humidity.

“Coaches, trainers, parents and athletes should look for signs of heat illness such as muscle cramping, excessive sweating, fatigue, dizziness, pale skin, weak pulse, fainting, and confusion,” Herman said. “Athletes themselves should be educated to hydrate before, during, and after training sessions, and athletes should be trained to maintain the color of their urine as light yellow to clear as a measure of hydration status. Treatment includes immediate transfer to a cooler environment, wetting the skin, and creating air flow to facilitate evaporation. Should symptoms persist, or be more serious, transport to a Hospital Emergency Department for definitive treatment would be appropriate.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, signs of heat exhaustion include heavy sweating, weakness, cold, pale and clammy skin, fast, weak pulse, nausea or vomiting and fainting. Those experiencing symptoms should move to a cooler location, lie down and loosen clothing, apply cool, wet cloths to as much of the body as possible, sip water and seek medical attention immediately if he or she has vomited.

Signs of heat stroke include a body temperature above 103 degrees, hot, red, dry or moist skin, a rapid and strong pulse and possible unconsciousness. The CDC qualifies those symptoms as an emergency requiring immediate medical attention. Individuals suffering from heat stroke should be moved to a cooler environment, be placed under cool cloths or even in a cool bath to reduce his or her body temperature and should not be given fluids.

“Exertional heat stroke is non-discriminatory,” said David Csillan, Athletic Trainer, Ewing High School and Co-Author, NATA Preseason Heat Acclimatization Guidelines for Secondary School Athletics. “It can occur across different sports, to both boys and girls, from the varsity to freshman teams, and as people may not know between in-door and outdoor sports.”

Diegnan encouraged parents of student-athletes to review the NJSIAA’s Heat Acclimatization Plan and Guidelines and to talk with their child’s coaches regarding their school’s heat illness emergency action plan.

Source: myCentralJersey.com


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