Health First Cardiologist Dr. Kevin Campbell Stresses Heightened Screenings for High School Sports Participants

middle and high school athletes beginning school year on the practice fields prepping for fall sports

The daily high temperatures haven’t dipped below 90 degrees across Florida in months – and there’s no drop in sight. Yet, as the calendar officially turns to August, thousands of middle and high school students across the country are already beginning the school year on the practice fields prepping for fall sports.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – The daily high temperatures haven’t dipped below 90 degrees across Florida in months – and there’s no drop in sight. Yet, as the calendar officially turns to August, thousands of middle and high school students across the country are already beginning the school year on the practice fields prepping for fall sports.

Whether it’s football, basketball, cross country, band practice or cheerleading, kids will soon begin rigorous training and conditioning exercises – often in unrelenting heat.

And while students and parents are busy shopping for new athletic shoes, gear and clothing, they shouldn’t forget one very important pre-season activity: a full, comprehensive health screening, including a cardiac EKG.

Recently, news headlines regarding college basketball star Bronny James suffering a cardiac arrest during a pre-season workout shocked the sports world – and parents everywhere. It underscores a curious fact of life – even the most finely tuned athletes can have hidden health issues. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 2,000 individuals younger than age 25 die each year of sudden cardiac arrest.

Sudden Cardiac Death

Cardiac arrest occurs when an electrical abnormality in the heart creates an irregular heartbeat, disrupting the heart’s pumping action.

This leads to a loss of consciousness and loss of a pulse. If not treated within minutes, sudden cardiac death (SCD) is likely to occur. When people under age 35 die of cardiac arrest, it’s typically due to a congenital (present at birth) issue, such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), long QT syndrome (LQTS) or other structural abnormality which can go undetected without medical testing.

“Sometimes we’re born with a thickened heart that can result in arrhythmias or with coronary arteries that take a different course in the heart that may cause them to be compressed, and this could also cause arrhythmias,” said Health First Cardiologist Dr. Kevin Campbell, MD.

“Additionally other electrical disorders may be present at birth. We don’t know the details for Mr. James, but we do know that he suffered cardiac arrest. So we assume that means that he had ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia, which is a dangerous, life-threatening heart rhythm that often requires CPR and electrical shock to get you back to regular rhythm.”

Be Aware of Family History

Dr. Campbell says that while stories like Bronny James’ can be frightening for kids and parents alike, there are numerous things that can be done before strenuous athletic activity.

“First of all, just be aware of your family history. A lot of these conditions are genetic. And if you’ve noticed that a lot of your primary relatives throughout history have had cardiac arrest or had fainting spells or have had something like that, then that would be a concern right away. You want to talk to your pediatrician or your family doctor about it,” said Dr. Campbell.

“Also, if your child is having trouble with fainting spells or passing out, or if they experience palpitations, racing heartbeats with lightheadedness and dizziness, things like that, or if they have chest discomfort, that just doesn’t make sense. It’s worth getting them screened. I will say that one of the things that I’m a big advocate for is EKG screening for all high school and college athletes.

“I think here in Brevard County, we do a really nice job of screening our high school athletes pre-participation. In fact, the American College of Cardiology has guidelines that we believe every athlete should be screened with at least an electrocardiogram (EKG),” said DR. Campbell.

In Europe, they’re even more aggressive. The Europeans believe that we should have echocardiograms done, which is an ultrasound of the heart muscle. And that clearly shows if you have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a thickening or stiffening of the muscle of the left ventricle, the pumping chamber.”

In many places, these cost-effective screenings are funded entirely or in part by charitable organizations or school districts, and performed by volunteer physicians and volunteer staff.

“I think what you do as a parent, you reach out to your athletic director at your high school and say, ‘Hey, who is doing pre-participation physical exams?’ In some cases, you go to your family doctor and probably simply pay for an office visit, whatever your co-pay is. Now, if you get an electrocardiogram, it’s really a $20 test – and added peace of mind,” said Dr. Campbell.

“In those students who are found to have worrisome symptoms, an abnormal physical exam or an abnormal EKG, an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) would be indicated.”

Visit HF.org/news to keep up with the latest at Health First.

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