Sudden cardiac arrest especially in a young seemingly healthy individual, is a tragic and highly publicized event. These events can often lead to a strong emotional reaction from the public and medical community. Although rare, sudden cardiac arrest in the young is devastating to families and communities, reinforcing our society’s desire to avoid any activities that could lead to the loss of human life during exertion.
The Canadian Cardiovascular Society has created a Position Statement on how to screen athletes for heart conditions that may predispose them to a sudden cardiac arrest.
They also recommend that sport organizations should train their staff on how to perform CPR, know how to use an automatic external defibrillators (AED) and make sure that AEDs are available in all facilities. In addition, they should develop emergency management protocols in case a sudden cardiac arrest event should occur.
At St. Michael’s Hospital, we tracked all sudden cardiac arrests that happened during sports within the Greater Toronto Area from 2009-2014. As part of our large, national registry (C-SCAN), we are also tracking how many sudden cardiac arrests are happening during sports so that we can make recommendations about how to prevent or treat these life threatening events.
To learn more about this topic please visit: https://www.cardiosmart.org/Heart-Conditions/Sports-and-Sudden-Cardiac-Arrest