Ep8 (part 1) - Preventing Sudden Cardiac Death in the Young, the Founders of Parent Heart Watch

In Part 1 of this episode of The Pursuit of Health Podcast - in a co-branded session with Parent Heart Watch, the Louis J. Acompora Memorial Foundation and the Dominic Murray 21 Memorial Foundation - Dr. Fethke sits down with three thought leaders and pioneers who have spent the past two decades addressing the recognition and prevention of Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Death, particularly in the young. 

For the first time, Dr. Fethke welcomes three guests at once to inform our audience about this very important and often under recognized topic -  

-Martha Lopez-Anderson: Executive Director of Parent Heart Watch (PHW)    

-Karen Acompora: Founder & President of the Louis J. Acompora Memorial Foundation & Board Chair of PHW    

-Melinda Murray: Founder & President of the Dominic Murray 21 Memorial Foundation & Board Secretary of PHW     

(Together Melinda Murray’s and Karen Acompora’s Foundations combine their efforts as Heart Screen New York)

This episode’s discussion is motivated by several critical features of Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) and Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA);

1. SCA is often the first clinical presentation of SCD
2. 1/300 youth live with an underlying heart condition that places them at risk for a SCA
3. SCA in the young claims 7,000-10,000 individuals/year which translates to 24 deaths/day or 1 life lost every 1-2 minutes
4. Amongst SCA Victims -
   1.  49% have had a family history of others with similar cardiac problems
   2. 60-72% have had preceding symptoms or other warning signs not recognized by their medical practitioners 
5. The American Academy of Pediatrics acknowledges that warning signs and risk factors are often missed by medical professionals, parents and youth
6. The current existing and recommended cardiac risk assessment tools are largely unused 
7. A History and Physical exam alone miss more youth at risk for SCA/SCD than when a properly performed and interpreted ECG is included as part of the screening process

PHW was founded in 2005 by 4 mothers of children who were victims of SCD. It has become a nationally-recognized entity that focuses on three main steps:

1. Cultivating Local Champions
2. Providing the Architecture for Collaborations at all levels
3. Motivating Parents

PHW work has now expanded in several areas;  

1. Sponsoring and promotion of research to fill the void of accurate and comprehensive data regarding SCA and SCD. 
2. Establishing Best Practices Models to address Prevention (Primary and Secondary) through Education. 
3. Impacting Educators, Sports leaders, and medical and policy-making stakeholders to recognize and address SCA/SCD Syndrome. 

Our guests share their personal journeys that allowed them to overcome one of the greatest tragedies a person can experience - the loss of a child - to ultimately undertake this Herculean task of changing the landscape of SCA and SCD. As they express in poignantly clear terms, they continue this work for others so “that the loss of their son or daughter is not in vain.”   

Next time, in Part 2, we will continue our discussion in which our guests describe their hurdles, successes and visions for the future in their work to combat SCA/SCD.   

To Learn More, Please Visit:  

https://parentheartwatch.org/
https://heartscreennewyork.com/
https://la12.org/
https://www.domheart21.org/

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(This episode is also available in video format on Youtube @drfethkemd).   

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