It’s the ultimate in contradictions. A seemingly healthy athlete collapses in cardiac arrest on the playing field. And when that athlete is a child or a teen, the “whys” and “what ifs” make the contradiction even tougher to swallow.
Young, physically active people aren’t supposed to die. Not like that. Not doing what they love. Not in a healthful pursuit.
As parents and coaches, we go out of our way to make sure our children are as safe as can be while playing sports. We outfit them in the best protection. New helmets, padding from head to toe, mouthpieces, eye goggles. You name it, we provide it (and make sure it’s worn). And when the inevitable injuries happen, we are right there on the sidelines applying bandages and icing bruises.
But every day, on fields and courts in the towns where we live, lots of us are overlooking one of the most important pieces of equipment our children will ever use — their hearts. We obediently bring them to the annual sports clearance – if one is even required — at school or in their own pediatrician’s office. The basic exam, the checks on the clearance form, and it’s another obligation done.
That is, until you hear about the latest tragic story of a student athlete in their prime struck by sudden cardiac death. Celebrating a game winning shot one minute, unresponsive the next. Unfortunately, I’ve seen it first-hand. In high school, a girl on our track team died — running the mile in gym class. Talk about ironic. Later that year, we heard the unthinkable again — this time at an actual track meet.
Because of these experiences, the fear has always been lurking in my mind. Pushing it to the forefront is the fact that my work in a hospital makes these stories — the published and unpublished — hard to miss. And every time, we’re left to come to terms with the fact that a simple, non-invasive test could have uncovered the risk. An EKG or echocardiogram performed in a doctor’s office, relatively inexpensively, most likely would have pinpointed an enlarged heart or another underlying cardiac issue in minutes.
Italy and Japan require screening with EKG or ECG for children. Studies show that this is a highly effective way to lower the rates of sudden cardiac death among student athletes. What are we waiting for?
Out of curiosity, I had asked my eight-year-old son’s pediatrician about having him screened at his physical last summer. He said it wasn’t necessary just yet — that L. still had some more growing to do before anything could be conclusive. Reluctantly, I put the idea on hold — again.
Then my husband called me into the room a few weeks ago, pointing to an ESPN report on a 16-year-old student athlete who went into cardiac arrest and died after his school basketball game in Michigan.
My mind started spinning. Here was my son, growing off the charts as always, probably taxing his heart as it was. This was the same sports-crazed kid who, during a recent school break, spent three hours each morning at basketball camp only to be invited to join the older kids in the afternoon session, running his sweaty, winded self right onto that court for a full four hours more.
It was enough to make my heart palpitate. And so I called a friend, a pediatric cardiologist who quickly reassured me that he had screened his own eight-year-old son just recently, and would see me and L. anytime we wanted to come in.
So we’re going this month. And even if the timing isn’t the best and his body will change over the next few years, we’ll be going again. Because I just can’t wait for the rules to change before I have some peace of mind.
What do you think about the current guidelines? Do you think it makes sense to routinely screen all young athletes for cardiac conditions? Would you pay to have your child screened, even if it wasn’t covered?
