Physicians Strive to Prevent Sudden Death in Athletes

          As the father of four active, healthy children, I can only imagine how devastating it would be for one of them to die suddenly from a heart ailment. And yet, a little more than a year ago, my good friend and mentor Bob Conn, went through just such a tragedy when his 22-year-old grandson, Jordan Mann, died suddenly.

          Jordan was an extraordinary athlete and student. In high school, he played soccer for Shawnee Mission East, and continued playing at Southern Methodist University in Texas, where he helped lead the team to the NCAA Final Four. He died in his sleep just one week after graduating from college in May 2007, with what should have been his whole adult life ahead of him.

           It turned out that Jordan had an unusual heart defect that had never been detected utilizing current guidelines for sports screenings and physicals. However, it could have been discovered using the same ultrasound test many of you have had in our offices. An echocardiogram uses ultrasound waves to map the heart’s structure and function. Why didn’t Jordan have one? Probably because no one considered him at risk for sudden cardiac death; he always looked and acted like a healthy young man and talented athlete.

           To give meaning to a life cut short, Bob’s family has created a foundation honoring his grandson’s memory; The Jordan Robert Mann Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to screen student athletes using diagnostic testing, to increase awareness about hidden cardiac problems and to create a paradigm shift in the way we evaluate our children. Current guidelines were established a generation ago.

          “Our message is that this is a public health issue,” Bob said. “We should think of this like immunizations.  Each year, between 7,000 to 10,000 young people die from sudden cardiac death. In Italy, the use of ECGs during pre-participation screenings for college athletes has reduced deaths from cardiac arrest by 82 percent.”

           In fact, Jordan’s foundation is working with Cardiovascular Consultants to develop a protocol that will justify ECGs as a requirement for students entering high school. This year, the foundation made it possible to screen 214 student athletes, providing funding for the $75 test in exchange for voluntary donations. Out of that group, Bob said they found five who needed an echocardiogram or further testing to check for potential problems.

          “An ECG is nine times more likely to pick up a serious condition than a regular physical exam, but it’s perceived as too costly by some when you consider the millions of American kids who participate in high school and college sports,” he explained.

          Bob is working closely with Tony Magalski, M.D., our resident expert in athletes and heart disease, to change conventional practice. Tony and his team are building a database that will be utilized to convince the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) that pre-participation exams should be expanded and include a comprehensive history, blood pressures, physical examination, electrocardiogram and echocardiography.

         Athletes with abnormal results would be referred for further evaluation. So far, they have worked with the University of Kansas to assess about 650 athletes; six were found to be at risk for sudden cardiac arrest. Their goal is to expand the program to other college campuses over the next five years.

        “This is the only comprehensive database of its kind,” Bob said. “We are in a unique position because we have such outstanding resources to support this initiative. Along with Tony, we are utilizing proven noninvasive tools to assess most of the top causes of sudden cardiac death. Ultimately, we believe what we are doing will save lives.”

To learn more about the Jordan Robert Mann Foundation, visit http://www.jordanrobertmannfoundation.org/.