Assessin For and Preventing Sudden Cardiac Death in Children

lthough considered rare, sud-den cardiac death (SCD) of ayoung person is a devastating event for the family, friends, school, and community. The rareness of the event is lost in the emotional and soul searching reaction of &dquo;Could this have been prevented?&dquo; and &dquo;What could I have looked for?&dquo; In many cases, SCD is preventable, and the school nurse is in an ideal position to educate and en-courage screening for SCD risk factors for school-aged children. Sudden cardiac death is defined as the sudden, abrupt loss of heart func-tion in a person who may or may not have a history of heart disease (Weller, 2005). Because there is no national registry for SCD, the exact number of unexplained cases of SCD among the pediatric and young adult population is unknown (Ellison, 2005). Some authors estimated the occurrence to be about 500 per year (Ellison). Others estimate the occurrence among young athletes to be 1 death per 180,000 per year. Boys are five time more likely to be affected than girls (Weller). Taking advantage of every opportunity to screen for risk factors should be a priority. Preparticipation sports physicals for students participating in all levels of sports are an important and excellent way to assess risk factors. A thorough history with specific questions about previous symptoms suggestive of SCD and a family history from the athlete and the parent should be obtaine