FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — Centra-State Healthcare System in partnership with New Jersey-based T.E.A.M. Life Inc. has donated an automated external defibrillator (AED) to the Marlboro Little League.
Early use of the device to restart the heart following cardiac arrest is critical for achieving the best medical outcome, according to the American Heart Assoc-iation, because after four minutes without oxygen-carrying blood, brain cells begin to die.
“We are delighted to support Marl-boro Little League’s efforts to protect the health and safety of their players, staff and spectators,” said Daniel J. Messina, CentraState senior vice president and chief operating officer.
The defibrillator, acquired through T.E.A.M. Life, is portable and automatically monitors the patient’s cardiac rhythm to determine if the patient requires defibrillation.
More athletes are sustaining injuries that can trigger cardiac arrest, according to Vince Lenza, director of safety and insurance for the Marlboro Little League.
“Eventually, it will be mandatory for recreational organizations to have defibrillators on hand,” he said.
The league will maintain the new AED at its recreation center clubhouse.
CentraState Healthcare System is a nonprofit community health organization consisting of an acute-care hospital, three senior living centers, a health education and activities center, a family medicine residency program, and a charitable foundation. It is a member of the Robert Wood Johnson Health Network and a clinical research affiliate of the Cancer Institute of New Jersey.