Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in youth athletes.
Though it may seem incongruous, often an undiagnosed structural heart or electrical signaling problem can cut down an otherwise healthy young person even as they work out and train to reach higher levels of physical capability.
“There are no signs, symptoms leading up to SCA [sudden cardiac arrest],” said Amanda Sageser, the athletic trainer/athletic medicine instructor at Bainbridge High School. “The first sign that there is an issue is the fact that the heart stops.”
Even most standard physicals, she said, do not pick up on the potentially lethal problem.
“The conditions leading to SCA are not picked up in traditional sports physicals,” Sageser said.
To that end, BHS will be hosting, in conjunction with the Nick of Time Foundation, a free electrocardiogram youth heart screening for anyone ages 14 to 24, regardless of where they attend school, from 9:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 3 in the gymnasium.
No warning
Matthew Derry, a senior at BHS, played an influential role in convincing the foundation to move up BHS on the lengthy waiting list of schools the group is set to visit.
About two years ago during a rowing workout, without any prior symptoms and without warning, Derry’s heart suddenly stopped.
“I actually don’t really remember it, but I pretty much collapsed on the machine and one of my teammates gave me CPR,” the teen said, struggling to remember even the faintest details of the event.
“I can’t even really pick out what the first memory was,” Derry said.
The teenager recalled that he was simply conscious one minute, and the next he was in the hospital recovering and undergoing tests to try to find out what exactly had happened to his heart.
“Obviously, I had the consequences of having to recover from it and I was not able to do the things that I could before for a long time. But I don’t actually remember the experience. It’s kind of strange, remembering that that really did happen to me,” Derry said.
It still remains a mystery what exactly happened to Derry’s heart to cause the arrest, but when doctors conducted an electrocardiogram shortly after the incident, they noticed some irregularities.
As a precaution, doctors implanted an internal defibrillator that will administer a shock, should the teen experience another cardiac arrest.
Now the 17-year-old is back in action, exercising as before but now armed with the knowledge that undiagnosed heart conditions in teens can often have much more tragic outcomes.
Raising awareness
With that in mind, Derry wanted to make sure that what happened to him wouldn’t happen to any of his classmates.
“I realized that this was something that was really important. The prevalence of cardiac arrest was something I hadn’t any real knowledge of before my incident. I had just assumed it was something that wouldn’t happen to someone that had no symptoms and no idea that there was anything wrong while they were exercising,” he said.
“After it happened I realized there are other people out there that are under high risk of having cardiac arrest, and they have no idea,” Derry said.
He sought out the Nick of Time Foundation, and convinced the nonprofit to make an earlier-than-planned visit to his school to conduct screenings for his fellow Bainbridge students.
Deadline nears
The necessary forms, including the mandatory parent permission slip, are available at the high school office and also at www. nickoftimefoundation.org.
To make an appointment, return the paperwork to the school office or scan and email it to the athletic department at asageser@bisd303.org, or call 206-780-1355 for more information.
All forms are due by Monday, May 1.
There is a $25 suggested donation, all money raised goes to the Nick of Time Foundation.
The screening consists of a “Heart Health Survey” to investigate signs and symptoms of family history of cardiac conditions, a blood pressure check, and a 12-lead ECG. All results are viewed on site by cardiologists and sports physicians experienced in reading ECG screenings.
Leading cause
According to the Mayo Clinic, the exact number of deaths related to SCA in young people remains unknown.
Though an overall rare occurrence, according to the Mayo Clinic, sudden death in people younger than 35, often due to undiscovered heart defects or overlooked heart abnormalities generally occur during physical activity, such as playing a sport, and more often occurs in males than females. According to the clinic: “Most deaths due to cardiac arrest are in older adults, particularly those with coronary artery disease. Cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in young athletes, but the incidence of it is unclear. Perhaps 1 in every 50,000 sudden cardiac deaths a year occurs in young athletes.”
The Nick of Time Foundation facilitates youth heart screenings, helps to provide program resources for public access defibrillator programs and teaches the importance of early bystander CPR/AED education and awareness, in an effort to provide “Heart Safe Zones” in communities.
It’s primary focus is educating teachers and coaches, athletes, families and communities about SCA and death in young people, and provides an array of programs to foster an awareness of SCA and help lessen its hidden potential to strike children and young adults at any time.
