Chris Christie Signs Cardiac Kids Bill Into Law

New Jersey will now monitor and report cases of children’s sudden cardiac events.Gov. Chris Christie has signed into law the “Children’s Sudden Cardiac Events Reporting Act.”  The measure is sponsored in the Assembly by Pat Diegnan, Pam Lampitt, Joe Egan and Annette Quijano.

The state will also create a statewide database for the information.

“Too many children have been taken from us far too soon because of sudden and undetected cardiac conditions,” said Diegnan. “By providing schools and communities throughout New Jersey with this information, we can help improve the survival rates of children who experience sudden cardiac events.”

Under the law, “sudden cardiac event” is defined as a death or aborted death due to a cardiac arrhythmia resulting in loss of consciousness requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation, defibrillation, or other advanced life support measures to regain normal heart function.

“Sudden cardiac arrest is far more common in children than one might think and we’ve seen our fair share of tragedies in New Jersey in recent years,” said Lampitt. “The collection and documentation of this data is essential for policymakers and health care professionals to determine the most effective way to allocate personnel, training, equipment, and resources to save the greatest number of lives.”