This Sudden Killer Is The #1 Cause Of Death For Young Athletes

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is one of the leading causes of death for young athletes in this country and SCA survival rate outside of a hospital is just 6 percent. An Ohio senator has recently announced legislation to address SCA in Ohio’s student athlete population. We would like to see something similar across all states!

SCA occurs when the heart unexpectedly stops working, however a quick combination of CPR and defibrillation can restore life, which is why coach training is essential. Health screening is one key way to identify whether or not your child is at risk but unfortunately since SCA most often occurs in young and healthy athletes, no program can detect every child at risk for SCA or prevent it from occurring. Have your child evaluated if:

• your child faints, is dizzy or has chest pains during or after exercise;
• your child has a heart murmur; or
• there is a family history of coronory artery disease.

It’s important that families, schools and the general public are educated around SCA, CPR and the use of automated external defibrillators.