BILL NUMBER: ACR 47 ENROLLED BILL TEXT ADOPTED IN SENATE JUNE 3, 2013 ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 20, 2013 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 20, 2013 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Skinner (Coauthors: Assembly Members Achadjian, Alejo, Ammiano, Atkins, Bigelow, Bloom, Bocanegra, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chávez, Chesbro, Cooley, Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Fong, Fox, Frazier, Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gordon, Gorell, Grove, Hagman, Harkey, Roger Hernández, Levine, Linder, Lowenthal, Maienschein, Mansoor, Medina, Melendez, Mitchell, Morrell, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Nestande, Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea, John A. Pérez, V. Manuel Pérez, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Salas, Stone, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk, and Yamada) APRIL 17, 2013 Relative to Commotio Cordis Awareness Week. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ACR 47, Skinner. Commotio Cordis Awareness Week. This measure would declare the week of June 1, 2013, to June 7, 2013, as Commotio Cordis Awareness Week and encourage all Californians, particularly young athletes, their families, coaches, school and youth sports league officials, and medical personnel, to learn about the risks of, and treatments for, commotio cordis. WHEREAS, Commotio cordis is a rare and potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmia that occurs when there is a sudden, often seemingly innocuous, blow to the chest that disrupts the electrical rhythm of an otherwise healthy heart; and WHEREAS, Commotio cordis occurs most often during sports, when athletes are at risk of being struck in the chest by a firm projectile, such as a baseball, softball, lacrosse ball, hockey puck, or soccer ball, or by another athlete, as in football, martial arts, or cheerleading; and WHEREAS, Commotio cordis disproportionately affects children and young adults, and it is one of the leading causes of sudden cardiac death among young athletes. The average age of those affected is 16 years, and 90 percent of those affected are under 25 years of age; and WHEREAS, There have been 250 reported cases of death from commotio cordis in the United States in the past 16 years, which is more than the total number of deaths from all sports-related head injuries; and WHEREAS, The risk of commotio cordis can be reduced through simple interventions, including (1) education on avoiding direct blows to the breastbone, (2) improved recognition and prompt resuscitation with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and an automated external defibrillator (AED), and (3) increased availability of AEDs and medical personnel, including certified athletic trainers at youth sporting venues; and WHEREAS, If an electrical shock from an AED is delivered to someone having a commotio cordis attack within three minutes, there is a 40 percent chance of survival, but if use of an AED is delayed more than three minutes, the survival rate drops to 5 percent; and WHEREAS, Commotio cordis was first identified as a cause of sudden death in 1932, and the survival rate has increased dramatically with growing public awareness and improved safety measures. A comprehensive study revealed that while only 10 percent of patients survived from 1970 to 1993, 35 percent survived between 1994 and 2012, and in the last six years, 58 percent of patients have survived commotio cordis events; and WHEREAS, Public awareness of this condition remains relatively low, which leads to delayed management and a higher incidence of deaths; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby declares the week of June 1, 2013, to June 7, 2013, to be Commotio Cordis Awareness Week and encourages all Californians, and particularly young athletes, their families, coaches, school and youth sports league officials, and medical personnel, to learn about the risks of, and treatments for, commotio cordis; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.