National Athletic Trainers' Association Position Statement: Emergency Action Plan Development and Implementation in Sport.

OBJECTIVE: An emergency action plan (EAP) is a written document detailing the preparations and on-site emergency response of health care professionals and other stakeholders to medical emergencies in the prehospital setting. The EAP is developed to address any type of catastrophic injury response and should not be condition specific. The objective of this National Athletic Trainers' Association position statement is to provide evidence-based and consensus-based recommendations for developing and implementing an EAP for sports settings. METHODS: These recommendations were developed by a multidisciplinary expert panel that performed (1) a comprehensive review of existing EAP evidence, (2) a modified Delphi process to define consensus recommendations, and (3) a strength of recommendation taxonomy determination for each recommendation. RESULTS: An EAP is an essential tool designed to facilitate emergency preparedness and an efficient, coordinated emergency response during an athletic event. A comprehensive EAP should consider modes to optimize patient outcomes, the various stakeholders needed to develop the plan, the factors influencing effective implementation of the EAP, and the roles and responsibilities to ensure a structured response to a catastrophic injury. CONCLUSIONS: These evidence-informed recommendations outline the necessary steps for emergency planning and provide considerations for the immediate management of patients with catastrophic injuries. Increasing knowledge and implementation of the EAP to manage patients with catastrophic injuries improves the overall response and decreases errors during an emergency.

Seasonal changes in hydration in free-living Japanese children and adolescents.

Changes in hydration status occur throughout the day affecting physiological and behavioural functions. However, little is known about the hydration status of free-living Japanese children and the seasonality of this response. We evaluated hydration status estimated by urine osmolality (Uosm) in 349 children (189 boys and 160 girls, 9.5 ± 2.6 years, range: 6-15 years) upon waking at home and during a single school day in spring (April) and summer (July). Further, we assessed the efficacy of employing self-assessment of urine colour (UC; based on an 8-point scale) by children to monitor their hydration status. Early morning Uosm was greater in the spring (903 ± 220 mOsm L-1; n = 326) as compared to summer (800 ± 244 mOsm L-1; n = 125) (P = 0.003, paired t test, n = 104). No differences, however, were observed in Uosm during the school day (P = 0.417, paired t test, n = 32). While 66% and 50% of children were considered underhydrated (Uosm ≥ 800 mOsm L-1) upon waking in the spring and summer periods, respectively, more children were underhydrated (∼12%) during the school day. Self-reported UC was similar between seasons as assessed in the morning and school day (P ≥ 0.101, paired t test), which differed from the pattern of responses observed with Uosm. We showed that a significant number of Japanese children are likely underhydrated especially in the spring period. Children do not detect seasonal changes in hydration from self-assessed UC, limiting its utility to manage hydration status in children.

The fan cooling vest use reduces thermal and perceptual strain during outdoor exercise in the heat on a sunny summer day.

The fan cooling vest is coming into very common use by Japanese outdoor manual workers. We examined that to what extent using this vest reduces thermal strain and perception during outdoor exercise in the heat on a sunny summer day. Ten male baseball players in high school conducted two baseball training sessions for 2-h with (VEST) or without (CON) a commercially available fan cooling vest on a baseball uniform. These sessions commenced at 10 a.m. on separate days in early August. The fan airflow rate attached the vest was 62 L·s-1. Neither ambient temperature (Mean ± SD: VEST 31.9 ± 0.2°C; CON 31.8 ± 0.7°C), wet-bulb globe temperature (VEST 31.2 ± 0.4°C; CON 31.4 ± 0.5°C) nor solar radiation (VEST 1008 ± 136 W·m-2; CON 1042 ± 66 W·m-2) was different between trials. Mean skin temperature (VEST 34.5 ± 1.1°C; CON 35.1 ± 1.4°C), infrared tympanic temperature (VEST 38.9 ± 0.9°C; CON 39.2 ± 1.2°C), heart rate (VEST 127 ± 31 bpm; CON 139 ± 33 bpm), body heat storage (VEST 140 ± 34 W·m-2; CON 160 ± 22 W·m-2), thermal sensation (- 4-4: VEST 0 ± 2; CON 3 ± 1) and rating of perceived exertion (6-20: VEST 11 ± 2; CON 14 ± 2) were lower in VEST than CON (all P < 0.05). Total distance measured with a global positioning system (VEST 3704 ± 293 m; CON 3936 ± 501 m) and body fluid variables were not different between trials. This study indicates that the fan cooling vest use can reduce thermal strain and perception during outdoor exercise in the heat on a sunny summer day. Cooling with this vest would be effective to mitigate thermal risks and perceptual stress in athletes and sports participants under such settings.

Navigating implementation barriers: a holistic approach to improving exertional heat stroke management.

Objectives: To assess the shift in medical volunteers' perception and practice surrounding exertional heat stroke (EHS) prehospital management after the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Methods: An online survey was sent to medical volunteers assigned to work at high EHS risk events during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Surveys were sent at the time of initial training, immediately after the Games, and one year after the Games. The survey investigated medical volunteers' perceptions and practices regarding the assessment of rectal temperature and the use of whole-body cold water immersion (CWI) as prehospital management of EHS. In addition, an open-ended question was prepared to examine barriers and facilitators of their chosen perception and/or behaviour. Results: The lack of knowledge about rectal temperature assessment improved over time, but the actual implementation did not. Meanwhile, increased utilisation of CWI was observed 1 year after the Games. The lack of equipment, apprehension towards rectal temperature assessment, the perception of difficulty getting patient consent, concerns for hypothermic overshoot and the number of required medical providers were raised as barriers to implementation. Conclusion: Some improvements were observed in perception and practice; however, further organisational and financial support is warranted for a broader skill transfer and implementation.

History, Knowledge, and Education of Sport-Related Concussion Among College Athletes in Japan.

CONTEXT: Few authors have investigated sport-related concussion (SRC) awareness and knowledge among athletes in Japan. Sport-related concussion research is scarce among Asian compared with North American and European cohorts. OBJECTIVE: To examine previous SRC history, level of SRC knowledge, and previous exposure to SRC education among collegiate athletes in Japan by the level of contact and access to medical staff. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Single-university study in Japan. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: A total of 2103 athletes (48 varsity teams) were contacted to participate in an anonymous survey. Data from athletes with (1) SRC history in the past 3 months, (2) persistent SRC symptoms, (3) nontraditional sports, or (4) incomplete surveys were excluded. As a result, data from 593 athletes representing 43 varsity teams were included in this analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Outcome measures were level of contact (contact [CON], limited contact [LTD], noncontact [NC]), access to medical staff (MEDYES, MEDNO), SRC knowledge (maximum score of 49), previous SRC history (self-report; yes, no), and previous SRC education (self-report; yes, no). RESULTS: The average SRC knowledge total score was 33.4 ± 6.1 (range, 18-48). The knowledge score in CON was higher than in LTD and NC (P < .001) and in MEDYES than MEDNO (median, MEDYES = 34.0, MEDNO = 32.0; U = 27 841.5, P < .001). Sport-related concussion history was statistically different by the level of contact ( = 27.95, P < .001) and by access to medical staff ( = 4.5, P = .034). The presence of an SRC history and previous SRC education contributed to higher SRC knowledge, independent of the level of contact and access to medical staff (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Japanese athletes who participated in CON sports had a higher prevalence of SRC history, higher knowledge, and greater exposure to SRC education than those in LTD or NC sports. Access to medical staff was associated with higher SRC knowledge.