January 19, 2008–SEATTLE, WA–Around the country at least once a week, a young athlete collapses and dies of undetected heart troubles.

The shocking numbers prompted Seattle's Blanchett High School to screen area students before tragedy strikes.

Volunteers want to catch the ticking time bomb before it goes off.

Tenth grader Mark Vinopal was one student being tested. He needs a healthy heart to compete.

“I’m a swimmer and I need that to go the distance,” he said.

The volunteers are checking for signs that may not be so obvious.

Sixteen-year-old Nick Varrenti appeared healthy on the outside. But the junior varsity football playerhad an illness that couldn't be seen.

“My dad went to wake him up and he didn't wake up,” said Katie Varrenti, his sister.

January 18, 2008–KALAMAZOO, MI­–Ronald Dundon had a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in February 2003. The attending emergency team’s use of CPR and an automated external defibrillator (AED) saved him. After his recovery, Dundon founded the AED Fund of Kalamazoo County, Michigan to help increase the chances of survival for future SCA victims in underserved communities.

The AED Fund raises money to purchase AEDs for first responders, high schools, and middle schools in Kalamazoo county. The organization has also formed partnerships with Kalamazoo County Medical Control and the Emergency Medical Services system to ensure that hard-pressed fire departments receive this life-saving device. Additionally, the AED Fund educates the public about the need for CPR and AED training and where to get it. As a certified CPR instructor, Ronald teaches basic CPR classes free of charge.

January 15, 2008–ScienceDaily–Studies indicate that in many communities only 15 percent to 30 percent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims receive bystander CPR before emergency medical services (EMS) personnel arrive at the scene. Considering that cardiac arrest survival falls an estimated seven percent to 10 percent for every minute without CPR, the low rate of bystander CPR has a big impact on outcomes.

A unified effort by the public, educators and policymakers is needed to reduce deaths from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) by increasing the use and effectiveness of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), according to a new statement from the American Heart Association. The statement, “Reducing barriers for implementation of bystander-initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation,” appears online in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

January 10, 2008–ROME–An abnormal electrocardiogram (ECG) in a young, highly-trained athlete might be the first expression of an underlying heart condition that could later become life threatening, according to a study published in today’s New England Journal of Medicine. This means that athletes with abnormal ECGs should be checked regularly, according to investigators.

“Contrary to previous reports describing such ECG patterns as innocent manifestations of ‘athlete's heart,’ without adverse clinical consequences, the present study shows that these abnormal ECGs may represent the initial expression of genetic cardiac disease… and adverse clinical outcomes," according to lead investigator Dr Antonio Pelliccia (Institute of Sports Medicine and Science, Rome, Italy) and colleagues.

January 10, 2008­–LITTLE ROCK–State Senator Tracy Steele is proposing that every high school in Arkansas have automated external defibrillators (AEDs) available at school activities.

Steele made the proposal to the Joint Committees on Public Health, Welfare and Labor, the first step in the legislative process toward enacting a law that would require the defibrillators.

Steele says the plan could possibly save the lives of young people at sporting events and other school activities.

The proposal is in response to the death of Anthony Hobbs of Little Rock, a 17-year-old basketball player for Parkview High School. Hobbs collapsed during a game on January 2.

Hobbs was rushed to Baptist Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. Initial autopsy results showed abnormalities in the heart.

January 10, 2008–MINNEAPOLIS–The Medtronic Foundation today announced new grant guidelines for its HeartRescue program. In 2008, funding priority will be given to school programs that educate students about sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and prepare them to act in an emergency.

To increase the number of bystanders trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and AED use, the 2008 HeartRescue program will focus U.S. grants on schools, school districts, government agencies, and non-profit organizations that develop comprehensive school-based programs that will prepare a new generation of people to recognize SCA when it happens and take action when it does.