Statistics show that hundreds of young athletes collapse while playing sports every year, and most of those cases involve some type of previously undiagnosed heart condition.

Any young athlete can have a sudden cardiac arrest. In these incidents, the person may stop breathing, become unresponsive and exhibit no detectable pulse. Unlike a heart attack, where a loss of blood supply causes the heart muscle to become dysfunctional, a sudden cardiac arrest occurs when the body's electrical system is interrupted. Impulses to the heart are not able to form an organized beat, which may cause the heart to beat erratically or stop altogether.

Strenuous physical activity is thought to trigger this type of episode. Most collapses occur suddenly, but there can be observable warning signs, such as:

• Fainting during exertion
• Difficulty breathing with exertion
• Chest pain/discomfort with exertion
• Fast or irregular heartbeats
• Family history of Sudden Cardiac Death or enlarged or thickened heart in young family members

Heart screenings
To prevent an unexpected collapse, the American Heart Association recommends that young athletes get a thorough cardiac screening. Comprehensive heart screenings are a growing trend in youth athletics, and may include a pre-season screening along with a complete physical and a mandatory family health history report. These types of screenings would be repeated every two years for high school and college athletes.

The most comprehensive heart evaluations for young athletes include a resting electrocardiogram, 24-hour ECG monitoring, exercise stress testing, an echocardiogram or combinations of all of these procedures.

The one for heart health
Children’s is the only pediatric hospital in North Texas with an accredited pediatric echocardiography lab.

The Heart Center at Children’s offers Cardiovascular Assessments for children involved in school athletic programs, after-school sports and sports organizations. Cardiac evaluations for patients are available at the both the Dallas campus or in Plano, at the Ambulatory Care Pavilion Legacy. For more information on cardiac evaluation for sports participation, call 214-456-6419.

Resources
Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation
National Athletic Trainers’ Association

Last reviewed: August 2008