LeBron James spoke for the first time since his eldest son, Bronny, was hospitalized after going into cardiac arrest during a practice with his team at the University of Southern California.

James posted a message on social media Thursday, thanking everyone for their love and prayers, adding that everyone is doing great. Soon after, it was announced that Bronny James had been discharged from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and was resting at home.  

According to the American Heart Association, there are more than 356,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests a year in the U.S. But there are lifesaving techniques that can make all the difference, as recent cases demonstrate.

For nearly 30 years, Jay Geiger has been taking care of collegiate student athletes, everything from preventive training and nutrition to injury treatment and rehabilitation. Whether the University at Albany head athletic trainer is at a practice or a game, he always has an automated external defibrillator nearby.

“I always tell my student-assistants, if you’re going to forget the water bottles, that’s one thing. You never forget the AED when you’re coming on the field,” Geiger said.

It’s part of the plan Geiger and his staff have in place in case of a sudden cardiac arrest. According to the Mayo Clinic Health System, it’s the leading cause of death in young athletes.

“We’re looking out for anything that is out of the ordinary, that’s the biggest thing,” Geiger said. “You can sort of tell something is wrong right off the bat, and we’re going to take that situation very seriously.”

He said the high-profile case of Damar Hamlin and, more recently, Bronny James, show the importance of proactive measures, whether that’s having an AED or CPR-certified individuals on standby.

“If there’s every a silver lining to these cases, it’s that there is usually in uptick in CPR training,” said Dr. Scott Feitell, director of the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and Heart Failure at Rochester Regional Health. He said the readiness and fast response have been crucial.

“Now, we have two very high-profile cases where having athletics trainers that know CPR and know life-support measures were able to intervene quickly and efficiently, and you have two great outcomes,” Feitell said.

There’s still no word on the cause of James’ cardiac arrest. But Feitell suspects genetic or inherited diseases could’ve played a role.

“Knowing family history, getting your annual physical, right now, that’s the best that we’ve got,” he said. “And that may change over time with more research and we uncover more reasons as to why these events happen.”

The American College of Cardiology estimates 100 to 150 sudden cardiac deaths annually during competitive sports.

Luckily, Geiger has never had to use an AED during his three decade career. But if he or his staff ever have to, they’ll be ready for it.

“Be on your toes every single day,” Geiger said. “And those people were prepared with everything they needed to happen and the best outcome they could have possibly have.”