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BUFFALO, NY--Research by University of Buffalo (UB) cardiologists suggests that imaging for loss of nerve function in the heart may help identify patients who are at high risk of sudden cardiac arrest and therefore most likely to benefit from an implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD). ICDs are used to prevent sudden cardiac arrest in patients with advanced heart disease.

“Since many patients who suffer a cardiac arrest do not have severely depressed heart function, PET (Positron Emission Tomography) imaging may be able to identify high-risk individuals who could be considered candidates for an ICD,” says John M. Canty Jr., MD, Albert and Elizabeth Rekate Professor of Medicine, and the study’s principal investigator.

Largest Ever PET Study on Sudden Cardiac Arrest

When London marathon medical director Sanjay Sharma was called to attend someone who had collapsed with suspected cardiac arrest a mile from the finish line last month, he expected to find a man in his seventies.

"I had to hide my horror as I saw a young, athletic woman," he says. "I had to... compose myself for a few seconds before we started resuscitation."

Lying on the ground was 30-year-old Claire Squires, whose sudden death, along with those of Italian footballer Piermario Morosini and Norwegian Olympic swimmer Alexander Dale Oen, has drawn fresh attention to shocking heart problems that bring down young, fit people at the top of their game.

The case of English Premier League footballer Fabrice Muamba, who collapsed on the pitch in front of a stadium packed with spectators last month, has similarly focused minds.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The American Academy of Pediatrics is warning parents about the risk of sudden cardiac arrest in children. 

Pediatric sudden cardiac arrest kills nearly 2,000 people under the age of 25 every year, according to the AAP.

Dr. Randall Caldwell, director of pediatric cardiology at Riley Hospital for Children, says that screening children for heart problems early on can save lives down the road.

"If you take a look at those 2,000 patients (who died), about 56 percent are going to be related to a death from some cardiovascular problems," he said. "That's why we want to make sure we screen those children and take care of those type of problems."

Caldwell said Riley treats about 30 new children each week complaining of chest pain, but only about 3 to 5 percent of them are found to have a heart issue.

Pittsburgh--KDKA TV News anchor, Susan Koeppen, will be leading this year’s Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation team at the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community. The 5K walk will be held on May 19, starting at Stage AE on Pittsburgh’s North Shore at 9:00 am.

Susan, herself a survivor of cardiac arrest, will be there to call attention to the need for Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) at all locations where people gather, and to stress importance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training in the event of cardiac emergencies in the home, school, workplace and recreation areas. She will be joined by other survivors—and families who have lost someone to sudden cardiac death.

While only eight percent of SCA victims (382,500 annually) survive the event, 38 percent of victims could be saved if they were treated in a timely, effective manner. Survival rates in Pittsburgh reflect the national statistics.

TORONTO--The Mikey Network's 'MIKEY', a public access defibrillator, has saved a 52-year old male police officer's life who suffered sudden cardiac arrest while exercising as part of a regular training program.

"Fortunately, others at the Toronto Police College gymnasium on Birmingham St. in Etobicoke performed CPR and applied the MIKEY defibrillator. After two shocks, they were able to get a heartbeat. He was transported to Mississauga Trillium Hospital for treatment and is expected to make a full recovery," said Mikey Network Chairman Hugh Heron.

The 'MIKEY' was one of the 70 defibrillators donated to the Toronto Police Services, Provincial Courts and Collision Centres in the GTA.