Cardiac Safety

Sudden deaths due to ill-timed blows to the chest (commotio cordis) are more common in the nation's fastest growing sport, lacrosse, than in any other sport, according to a new study in the September 2009 journal, Pediatrics.

Every year we see it. A promising young athlete who appears to be the picture of health suddenly collapses and dies from a heart ailment that was never detected. Many of these young athletes are dying from a rare congenital heart defect called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM ).   The HCM problem is being attacked through education and through the forming of alliances between schools, leagues and sports governing bodies with medical organizations, efforts that are already yielding results.

It was the evening of December 2, 2000. My 15 year-old son, Greg, was playing basketball for Notre Dame High School against cross-town rival East Stroudsburg North High School in rural Pike County, Pennsylvania. It was the very first game in the school's brand new multi-million dollar gymnasium. Befitting the occasion, the game was on local television.

What Is A "Good Samaritan Law?"

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is one of the leading causes of death in this country. According to the American Heart Association, SCA claims the lives of over 250,000 people die each year, more than all forms of cancer combined.

A recent article in The Boca Raton News makes the following important points about improving the odds of survival for athletes who experience sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) by having Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) at every athletic event:

Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are manufactured and sold under guidelines issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Current FDA regulations make AEDs, like many drugs, available only to those with a physician's prescription. Simply finding a physician willing to write the necessary prescription, however, is not enough; in order for an AED or Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) program to be safe and effective, the program needs constant oversight by a medical director.