During the recent Fifa World cup you may have noticed the strange backpacks that medical support workers were carrying pitch side. Not much was made of what was actually in the bags so this blog will aim to give you a peek inside, and explain how the bags are being used to save lives worldwide...
What's in the Bag?
The Fifa Standardised Medical Bag is like a walking first aid box with advanced features that can be used to restart the heart in the event of a cardiac arrest. It was primarily designed to medically manage a footballer who was over 14 for 60 minutes, whilst awaiting the arrival of the emergency services. Inside the bag you can expect to find:
- Folding stretcher
- Oxygen
- Bandages
- Sterilized Wipes
- Disposable gloves
- Automated External Defibrillator (AED)
Sudden Cardiac Deaths (SCD’s) in Football
Marc Vivien Foe sadly died during a Confederations cup match in 2003 which prompted FIfa to think long and hard about how they could prevent further deaths in the future. It is highly likely that some SCD’s could be prevented if an AED is available at the time of the arrest , which prompted Fifa to implement a law in 2013 that states that an AED has to be available pitchside in all of Fifa’s competitions and matches.
The AED Machine
The AED machine is one of the key components to Fifa’s new medical bags. The AED is the only proven method of treating a victim of cardiac arrest whilst they are in a shockable rhythm. Fifa use the Zoll AED + which gives users real time feedback on the effectiveness of their chest compressions, which has been proven to increase the chances of survival.
The presence of the machine on the outside of the bag is designed so that the AED is highly visible and can be grabbed at the earliest possible opportunity in the event of a cardiac arrest.
Emergency Training
Its all very well having the correct equipment but without proper knowledge the bag could fail during the event of an emergency. In light of this Fifa for the first time at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil trained physicians and sideline medical times in Emergency First Aid and put educational booklets inside of the bags so that these skills can be refreshed.
The concept of the Fifa Standardised Medical Bag is relatively new. It is hoped that in the future similar type schemes will prevent deaths occurring worldwide in schools, colleges and across the millions of grass roots games that are played annually. The next step could possibly be to ensure that all professional football matches have access to an AED?
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