Simons Fund

French Research Shows SIDS Linked to Heart

darren — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 01:51:21 +0000

French scientists are claiming to have identified an anomaly in the hearts of victims of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) that could pinpoint newborn babies at risk with a simple blood test.

The research team at the University of Strasbourg believes so-called cot death babies have a fault in the regulation of the heartbeat causing it to slow down to the point where it stops altogether.

This fault is caused by the heart absorbing too much of a chemical produced by the cardiac nerve, which controls the heart rate, it says. It believes the anomaly can be identified by an enzyme in white blood cells.

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We’re Growing Up. Meet Josh, the Fund Manager

darren — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:25:35 +0000

Simon’s Fund is so excited to announce that Josh Weisman will be serving as the Fund Manager.

Josh’s first day was March 1. His first week was a typical-new position-get acquainted-not much to do-slow transition week. On day one, he discovered that the main roads in the town where we’re holding our annual event will be shut down on the day of our annual event. On day two he scrambled to find a new date. On day four, we discovered that the new date presented a similar problem. On day five, we picked a third and final date. In between, he met with Board Members and advocates in the sudden cardiac arrest space. Needless to say, we are very grateful that Josh is on board.

Josh brings energy, commitment, passion and organization to Simon’s Fund. For five years, Simon’s Fund has been run exclusively by volunteers. The organization accomplished great things under this arrangement, but was limited by competing interests and time limitations. Typical of a volunteer-run organization.

Josh will spend a significant amount of time each week focusing on the needs and objectives of Simon’s Fund. As such, the organization will be able to create more alliances, conduct more screenings, host more educational seminars, raise more awareness and save more lives. Josh’s personal and nonprofit experiences brings a new and fresh dynamic to Simon’s Fund. Under his leadership, we know that Simon’s Fund will improve and grow.

We welcome Josh to our family and cause. We know that together – Josh, the current organization, and you – we’ll continue to save the life of one child . . . and then another, by raising awareness about conditions that lead to sudden cardiac arrest and death.

The Screening Debate

darren — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:46:04 +0000

This article contains arguments for and against heart screenings for athletes. For once, I would like for the adversaries to substantiate their costly claims. It is easy to throw out high dollar amounts.

Two studies published yesterday are expected to reignite an emotionally charged debate about whether young athletes should be screened with a heart test to reduce the small risk of sudden death from an undiagnosed heart problem.

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In the first, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University added an electrocardiogram, known as an ECG, to a routine physical for students. This strategy doubled the number of students with heart disease who were detected, compared with those who did not receive an ECG with their physical.

The vast majority of athletes who die suddenly are felled by an abnormal heart rhythm, which can often be detected with an ECG, a test of the heart’s electrical activity. However, the Harvard study also found a large number of “false positives’’ – tests indicating a problem when there is none – that would subject athletes to additional costly testing to rule out a heart ailment. Still, based on the findings, Harvard is routinely giving ECGs to all its athletic recruits.

In the second study, scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine concluded that adding an ECG to the traditional sports physical would tack on roughly $89 per athlete, a cost that is considered feasible compared with other routine medical interventions. Both studies were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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Teen Survives Sudden Cardiac Arrest

darren — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:37:38 +0000

Updated: Friday, 26 Feb 2010, 10:28 PM EST
Published : Friday, 26 Feb 2010, 10:28 PM EST

George
Franco

Reported By: George Franco | Edited By: Leigah Baugham

NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. (MyFOX ATLANTA) – Newton County emergency medical workers said what is called a chain of survival saved a 17- year-old student who went into cardiac arrest at school.

James Norrington said it was combination of people and events that saved his life, from the school nurse to the emergency medical technicians.

Norrington was in physical education class when he said he started feeling ill. The Newton County teen said he ran up some stairs, headed out of the doors and went over to the school’s clinic, where he collapsed.

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Player Moves On After Sudden Cardiac Arrest

darren — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:33:18 +0000

GREENSBORO — Jesse DeSanto’s heart stopped just after he crossed home plate three years ago.

DeSanto, a 16-year-old high school sophomore at the time, was at baseball practice and expected to play shortstop that season for the Manteo High School Redskins.

After cardiac arrest nearly killed DeSanto, he fought to live. Then he fought to get back on the field.

And this month, he finally overcame legal obstacles to play for Guilford College.

DeSanto, 19, had an undetected condition that caused his heart to stop.

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Should We Test Athletes

darren — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:27:08 +0000

Gaines Adams did not have an electrocardiogram or echocardiogram as part of his medical pre-screening as an athlete at Clemson, where he was a star defensive lineman from 2003-06. He died Jan. 17 of sudden cardiac arrest after completing his second season in the NFL.

Adams’ death once again stirred the debate on whether athletes at all levels are getting the type of medical screening that would prevent sudden deaths from heart-related problems. And once again, school administrators and doctors do not agree on merits of the tests or procedures.

A survey conducted by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution revealed that Clemson is one of eight of the 24 schools in the ACC and SEC that do not provide EKGs and/or ECHOs as part of pre-screening for athletes.

Boston College, Duke, Clemson, Kentucky, Maryland, South Carolina, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech provide a thorough questionnaire and physician’s exam during the pre-screening process for incoming athletes, but do not offer EKGs or ECHOs.

But should they?

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Study Shows $88 Can Save a Life

darren — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:21:33 +0000

March 1 (Bloomberg) — Heart defects that can cause otherwise healthy athletes to die while playing in basketball and football games were detected in Harvard University athletes using a common $88 test.

The tests, known as electrocardiography or ECG, were given to 510 Harvard athletes in addition to their standard physicals, according to a study published today by the Annals of Internal Medicine. The added tests identified two players who were deemed healthy in typical examinations despite having dangerous defects that should bar them from competition. Scientists in three articles debated the merits of routine ECG tests for athletes.

Genetic heart defects caused the courtside deaths of Hank Gathers, an All-America 23-year-old basketball forward at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, and Reggie Lewis, a 27- year-old All Star guard for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association. Such defects are the top cause of sudden death in sports, killing 1 of every 220,000 young athletes each year, according to previous studies.

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Red Bull Accused of Causing Cardiac Arrest

darren — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:11:29 +0000

Red Bull Representative Says Drink Is Safe

POSTED: 12:38 pm CST March 1, 2010
UPDATED: 6:40 pm CST March 1, 2010

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —

A local man said he ended up in a hospital with heart problems on a day he drank energy drinks. Charles Harris, 25, claims the drinks were a factor when he suffered cardiac arrest last September. “They pulled me out, began CPR because I had no pulse, no breathing,” Harris told KMBC’s Maria Antonia.

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NBA Warrior Raises Awareness about Heart Condition

darren — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:00:13 +0000

This is the man who crashes for every potential rebound, regardless if he is outweighed.

This is the man who spins and dances after most perfect passes he throws, regardless if the crowd of 20,000 is laughing at his moves while cheering.

This man walked in front of about 100 children Monday in Oakland and admitted he was nervous.

“I don’t joke about this,” Warriors center Ronny Turiaf said. “A heart condition affected me, it affected my family and it has affected my friends. I’m going to do everything I can to bring awareness to this important topic.”

Turiaf spent four years at Gonzaga, the last of which earned him WCC Player of the Year honors, then was drafted in the second round by the Lakers in 2005. When a heart screening weeks later turned up an enlarged aortic root, he underwent six hours of open-heart surgery at Stanford Medical Center.

In Light of Deaths, Coroners Wants Athletes Tested

darren — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 23:42:49 +0000

Douglas County Coroner Randy Daniel is waging a one-man, all-out campaign to require heart testing for students before they can participate in high school athletics.

“This is just something we have to do,” Daniel said Wednesday. “We’ve had three young people die in the last few years.”

Daniel’s campaign was sparked by the Feb. 10 sudden death of a 14-year-old Chapel Hill High athlete, William Darrin Davis. The student had just finished track practice when he collapsed. Lifesaving measures were unsuccessful, and Davis was pronounced dead at the hospital emergency room.
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