Stealthy, deadly condition stalks student athletes

Stealthy, deadly condition stalks student athletes

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Story Published: Jun 16, 2008 at 7:44 AM PDT

Story Updated: Nov 20, 2008 at 9:42 PM PDT

By Denise Whitaker

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Every three days in the U.S. a student athlete dies from sudden cardiac arrest.

And new research at the University of Washington shows the chance of survival from such a catastrophic event is slim.

Sudden cardiac arrest can happen during a game, even during practice. It can kill a student who appears to be fit and healthy.

Dr. Jonathan Drezner researches these attacks in young people.

He said, "Often these patients have no symptoms and no physical exam findings that suggest that it's there."

His study is the first to show that only one of every 10 young athletes survives sudden cardiac arrest.

Although every student athlete must get a physical to play, heart problems that could lead to sudden cardiac arrest are not easy to spot.

That's why Dr. Drezner said physicians must ask the right questions. Such as:

- "When you exercise, do you get any chest related symptoms? Any pressure, tightness?"

- "When you exercise, have you gotten lightheaded or passed out for any reason?"

These are all warnings signs that could require additional tests.

A full family history is important, too.

And, Drezner said schools must have automated external defibrillators and plans to use them. AEDs are designed to be simple to use for the layman, and the use of AEDs is taught in many first aid and CPR classes.

"If you collapse at a high school with an AED, the likelihood that you will survive is 60 percent," he said.

For three years, Dr. Drezner has been fighting for legislation to make AEDs mandatory in all Washington schools - but each time it failed to pass.

The American Red Cross puts the cost of an AED at about $2,300.

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