Texas basketball dies after collapsing during a time-out.

[Snapshot9]

http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebasketball/story/texas-teenager-dies-after-collapsing-during-aau-basketball-game-031311

[Rosewood]

I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often. Few players get the full proper workup they need to make sure that this isn't going to be an issue.

[rZ]

I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often. Few players get the full proper workup they need to make sure that this isn't going to be an issue.

Screening is only effective if you know what to look for. Current research has no answer for why sudden cardiac death is occurring in this young male population. The young man who died of an enlarged heart is an exception in that a cause of death was able to be determined. In most of these incidents, this is not the case.

[Shocker85]

Screening is only effective if you know what to look for. Current research has no answer for why sudden cardiac death is occurring in this young male population.

But if an enlarged heart muscle is being blamed, can't that be detected with ultrasound? I realize it would be costly to screen every athlete that way, but are there genetic risk factors that might indicate a test is warranted?

These deaths are just so tragic and to have these kids drop dead when they have the world by the tail just plain sucks.

[Edit: you changed your original post. Both the two boys in the last couple weeks have indicated enlarged heart.]

--'85.

[rZ]

Screening is only effective if you know what to look for. Current research has no answer for why sudden cardiac death is occurring in this young male population.

But if an enlarged heart muscle is being blamed, can't that be detected with ultrasound? I realize it would be costly to screen every athlete that way, but are there genetic risk factors that might indicate a test is warranted?

These deaths are just so tragic and to have these kids drop dead when they have the world by the tail just plain sucks.

[Edit: you changed your original post. Both the two boys in the last couple weeks have indicated enlarged heart.]

--'85.

You are correct that an enlarged heart would most likely be detected (if presenting at the time of screening). What is most disturbing is that these cardiac events seem to be increasingly occurring in young male athletes.

[Shocker85]

You are correct that an enlarged heart would most likely be detected (if presenting at the time of screening). What is most disturbing is that these cardiac events seem to be increasingly occurring in young male athletes.

Product of being driven harder and harder by parents, AAU coaches, HS coaches, and peer competition?

Often these children are not allowed to be children, rather a family's ticket to the easy life. I'm not saying this is the case in these specific instances, tough. I don't know the facts.

Still tragic, and I don't intend to disrespect these individuals or their families.

--'85.

[Kung Wu]

It really isn't increasing. Isreal tried increasing the level of prescreening and it doesn't work because the incidence is super low to begin with. Increasing the level of prescreening is just driving up the cost for kids to play (many of whom are very poor to begin with).

Good article about this:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/07/us-athletes-hearts-idUSTRE7266M520110307

There is no doubt your heart goes out to the player's family and friends when it happens.

[wufan]

Screening is only effective if you know what to look for. Current research has no answer for why sudden cardiac death is occurring in this young male population.

But if an enlarged heart muscle is being blamed, can't that be detected with ultrasound? I realize it would be costly to screen every athlete that way, but are there genetic risk factors that might indicate a test is warranted?

These deaths are just so tragic and to have these kids drop dead when they have the world by the tail just plain sucks.

[Edit: you changed your original post. Both the two boys in the last couple weeks have indicated enlarged heart.]

--'85.

You are correct that an enlarged heart would most likely be detected (if presenting at the time of screening). What is most disturbing is that these cardiac events seem to be increasingly occurring in young male athletes.

Yep, the vast majority of kids with enlarged hearts or cardiac anomolys don't ever have symptoms let alone die. All a screening test would tell you is that you are at a 0.5% higher chance of having cardiac related issues while you exercise. So you sit 20,000 kids because 99 of them might faint once and one of them might die due to the results of the screening? At $100.00 a pop you are only creating more problems.

It's tragic and more research is being done, but we aren't even close to understanding the problem.

[RoyalShock]

I was diagnosed as having an enlarged heart as a kid, but only based on symptoms, not a test.

I would have periods where even taking the tiniest breath caused sharp chest pains (lack of space in the chest cavity). That was 30-ish years ago and I think I grew out of it (literally) and never had any problems in high school playing basketball, tennis or running cross-country. I don't know how that is diagnosed today, though I suspect my 11 year-old son may also have it.

I guess my point is that assuming my diagnosis was correct, there can be noticable symptoms.

[rZ]

One bright note, recently a cardiologist developed an app for the iPhone that is a portable EKG. You do have to purchase a special case for the phone which has metal "leads" on it (and I'm sure the app and case are expensive), however, school athletic trainers with the device can do quick on site EKG analysis on players on a regular basis. Tools like this can help catch underlying issues that may otherwise go unnoticed and undiagnosed.