Congenital heart defects...

[tshadow]

...this is a real huge problem for athletes. I just saw in the news a young walk on at tsu collapsed and died. He was an alumnus of smyrna high. Now I am not for certain that his ailment was chd but there have been a few athletes to die in recent years including a major league pitching rookie (the name escapes me now). I think it is time that a more comprehensive checkup be a part of the induction process for athletes of public institutions. My brother who passed away going on two years now was diagnosed when he was going out for the harpeth squad (when they were a junior high team: they still let him play?).

[go blue]

In addition to heart defects, athletes should be educated on what can happen cardiologically when potassium and electrolytes get out of whack or depleted. It can cause palpitations, chest pain, and irregular heart beats. Nutrition should be discussed with athletes because it's important to heart health. And parents need to listen to their kids when they complain of chest pain. The heart is a muscle athletes tend to have large hearts. A test can measure for the thick walls that are the killer in enlarged hearts.

 

The cardiological tests needed to look specifically at that are terribly expensive. My insurance covered it but the deductible was a killer. How many parents just can't afford that? I am still paying off the deductible from 3 years ago. It's the responsibility of the parents to ensure they get their kids the kind of specialized care they need. And it's a sacrifice but when something happens like the kid from TSU you are glad you made the investment to make sure your son is cardiologically sound for the rigors of football.

[NotNoahHouck]

I have a congenital heart defect, and play soccer for my high school

[FootballDad]

There is an organization out of Georgia called Heart Screen for Teens. They will provide Echocardiograms for about $60 for athletes only. That is a fraction of what it normally costs. It requires you to schedule them to come to your school on a weekend. This is a mission service and certainly not a for profit venture. I don't have contact information but I'm sure you can do an internet search and find them. We had them at CAK 2 years ago and I had both of my kids screened. This test will find a lot of potential problems, like wall thickness issues or valve problems, in the heart. There can be false positives with this test just like there are with any test, but the cardiologists at Vanderbilt Hospital review all the screens and determine if further tests should be done.

[1113sm]

One of the most common problem associated with sudden cardiac death in athletes is HCM (Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) all coaches should try and get educated with this condition. It is detectable and you can still play with a mild case.

 

Also a automated external defibrillator (AED) should be a piece of equipment carried with your team anytime you mass together for any type of physical activites.

 

All teams should carry one.

 

 

 

Edited December 2, 2012 by 1113sm