Cardiac Arrest During Sports
June 22, 2006 by Lei
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Athletes like basketball player Hank Gathers of Loyola Marymount who suffer sudden cardiac arrest often do not survive despite immediate CPR and medical attention. In a study of nine intercollegiate athletes who collapsed from sudden cardiac arrest during play, only one survived.
Dr. Jonathan A. Drezner:
The lower survival rate may be due to the presence of structural heart disease in the majority of young athletes with sudden cardiac arrest that may be more resistant to defibrillation.
Here’s the breakdown of the conditions these athletes had:
- Five of the eight athletes who did not survive, the underlying cause of sudden cardiac death was an abnormally enlarged heart, called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
- Two athletes had blunt trauma to the chest triggering a chaotic heartbeat, a condition termed called commotio cordis.
- One athlete died of a heart attack.
The one athlete who did survive his cardiac arrest did not have a structural heart defect and the cause was never identified.
If you or someone you know suffer from a heart condition, take especially good care while exercising and engaging in sports.
Reuters, June 22, 2006
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