SILENT, DEADLY KILLER OF THE YOUNG CONTINUES TO GO UNDETECTED!
Organizations Partnering to Save Young Lives!
September is Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes (SADS) Awareness Month. As young people return to school, it is a prime opportunity to ensure that schools around the country are ready to respond to a cardiac emergency.
Each year in the United States, 400,000 Americans die suddenly and unexpectedly due to heart rhythm problems. An estimated 4,000 of them are young people under age 35 according to CDC Reports. Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is one of the top five leading causes of death in young adults. According to the CDC, deaths from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) increased 10 percent in people between the ages of 15 and 34. These children and young people usually appear healthy and normal—until they have an episode. The good news is early detection is possible, conditions are treatable and lives can be saved.
SADS and Parent Heart Watch (PHW) are partnering to prevent the senseless deaths of more young people. Members and volunteers of both organizations, whose lives have been personally affected, are distributing materials, talking to local groups in their schools and communities and telling their personal story to the media this month to raise awareness and educate the public and medical professionals about the symptoms and warning signs of undetected conditions that cause SCA.
Warning Signs of undetected arrhythmias:
• Family history of unexpected, unexplained sudden death in a young person under the age of 40
• Fainting (syncope) or seizure especially during exercise, excitement or after being startled
• Consistent or unusual chest pain, dizziness and/or shortness of breath during exercise.
Parents and school personnel are encouraged to check to ensure that their school is ready to help a young person in a cardiac crisis.
• Do all children with health/heart conditions have a care plan?
• Does your school have an Emergency Action Plan that includes CPR/AED (Defibrillation)
• Does staff know the warning signs and have a process to refer youth with warning signs for further evaluation by their physician?
The vital links of the cardiac chain of survival will increase SCA survival rates; early access to 911, early CPR, early defibrillation and early advanced care. For every minute without defibrillation, a victim’s chance for survival decreases by 10 percent.
About the SADS Foundation
The SADS Foundation is a non-profit organization that was established in 1991 with the sole mission of saving lives and supporting the families of children and young adults who are genetically predisposed to sudden death due to heart rhythm abnormalities. The foundation facilitates medical decisions and early diagnosis and treatment of heart rhythm abnormalities that can cause sudden death by providing educational materials to more than 27,000 patients, doctors, and families around the world each year. In addition, the SADS Foundation encourages research and initiates public campaigns to increase awareness of the warning signs of heart rhythm abnormalities that can cause sudden death. www.StopSADS.org
About Parent Heart Watch
Parent Heart Watch is the national voice protecting youth from sudden cardiac arrest and preventable sudden cardiac death. PHW leads and empowers others by sharing information, educating and advocating for change. The vision of PHW is to eliminate preventable disabilities and death of youth caused by sudden cardiac arrest. The members of PHW, representing 45 states, advocate on local and national levels for awareness and education of SCA in youth, Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) programs, early detection through cardiac screening initiatives, legislation, research, and a national registry for SCA in youth. For more information visit: www.parentheartwatch.org
