Objective We hypothesized that prospective, systematic Internet searches could identify occurrences of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in athletes, and would be useful to establish a system of active surveillance. Methods Weekly advanced Google searches of the Internet were conducted for cases of SCD in young athletes over a 12-month period (2007–8). Athletes aged 11 to 30 years who collapsed during a game, practice, or within an hour of exercise were included. Individuals with known histories of cardiac issues and events occurring outside the United States were excluded. Verification of SCD was by autopsy reports and death certificates from county coroner offices and vital record agencies. Results A total of 71 events were initially identified. Verification of the cause of death by coroner reports was possible in 45 cases, of which 43 (96%) were confirmed to be SCDs. Sixty-nine individuals, 11 to 30 years of age (mean 17 ± 5), died suddenly from cardiovascular causes while participating in 15 different organized sports and a variety of non-organized physical activities. The most common cause of death was hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (30%), followed by coronary artery anomalies (9%), and myocarditis (9%). The incidence of athlete SCD, types of sports involved, and cardiac causes of death in our study were comparable to previous reports. Conclusions Readily available Internet searches have the potential to be a powerful tool for identifying occurrences of athlete SCD. An active surveillance system using Google searches followed by coroner report verification can provide important epidemiologic and clinical information.
Background Congenital heart disease, a common and serious birth defect, affects 8 per 1000 live-born infants. Decreased exercise capacity and development of obesity is common in this population. These children may benefit from therapies, such as massage therapy, that could enhance cardiovascular and skeletal muscle function when they exercise. Purpose A pilot study conducted at the pediatric cardiology clinic of the Mattel Children’s Hospital of the University of California–Los Angeles examined the safety and feasibility of measuring the effects of pre-exercise massage on exercise performance and cardiopulmonary response in children with and without heart disease. Participants and Methods Sixteen children (mean age: 9.2 ± 2.2 years) participated in the study. Ten participants had various forms of heart disease, and six children were healthy. A female certified massage therapist with specialized training in pediatric massage provided a 30-minute massage to the participants. Using a standard protocol, each participant underwent two exercise tests: one test with and one without pre-exercise massage. Heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen uptake (VO 2 ) were measured in the participants. Results All recruited participants completed the study. No adverse events occurred during any of the exercise tests or massage sessions. Measurements during exercise with or without a preceding massage were compared, and the pre-exercise massage condition yielded a significantly higher heart rate and higher minute ventilation. Measurements during exercise in children with heart disease and in healthy participants showed no significant differences in peak heart rate, blood pressure, peak VO 2 , peak work rate, minute ventilation, or respiratory quotient. Conclusions In this study, peak heart rate, peak VO 2 , and peak minute ventilation were higher when children received a massage before exercise testing. Larger studies will be needed to investigate the strength of this finding. Future studies should include measurements of anxiety and psychological factors in addition to cardiopulmonary measures.
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