Do Children Ever Survive a Sudden Cardiac Arrest ?

The vast majority of children and teens who experience a full cardiac arrest, do die. However, they do not ALL die, if they receive competent CPR and defibrillation from an AED (Automatic Emergency Defibrillator.) It therefore makes good sense to certify all parents, all coaches, all teachers in CPR. All health care providers in most US states and Canada are required to be anyway. It also makes sense to have an AED in every school, every government building, and present at every soccer, lacrosse, baseball, basketball, practice and game, as well as at track and field events. Even when an AED is present, at say perhaps a school, the ideal time for its use is a narrow window, and depending upon the size of the facility, it may be brought to the scene too late.
Daniel had the benefit of rapid discovery and rapid CPR, and we administered epinephrine, and later an additional dose, but there was no AED in our home. There was no reason to ever buy one, or request one, although now of course, I wish we had found a way. Still, the window in which an AED is helpful is short. By the time we heard his fall, unlicked the bathroom door, pushed the door gently to move his body which was obstructing the doors opening, time was passing. Then since he was on his face, he needed to be turned over, his head tilted back and assessed for breath sounds, vomitus cleared, and breaths given, and then pulselessness detected, All these things take time, although his body should have responded to the care he received.
When an adult comes across a child in cardiac arrest, we often do not know the cause. It could be a metabolic disorder, an influenza, a respiratory arrest which led to a cardiac arrest, an anaphylactic (severe allergic reaction), or a severe asthma attack. We can't know what happened simply by looking. When a child drops to the floor with a sudden cardiac arrhythmia, we know even less. A well child who has been active that day, has dropped and is unresponsive, breathless and pulseless. According to data tabulated by the Parent Heart Watch, 100-150 children from 3-35 die of a sudden cardiac death annually. This does not include those who were successfully resuscitated and treated thereafter. The Heart Rhythm Society reported in 2004, 14,000 infants and children deaths from a sudden cardiac death or unclear causation sudden death syndrome. This is not as rare as others might have us believe.
Yes, some children survive, but not as many as we would like. I will make an effort to profile some of the survivors of Sudden Cardiac Death as well as those who we remember for passing as a result of it. There is no one state, national or world group keeping complete and comprehensive records of causes of sudden cardiac arrests in adults or in children. In fact, whether an autopsy is even done in many municipalities is a question of money available, coroner's request, and even family preference. There are simply so many more causes of death in youth for this to be a significant focus yet for public heath. I wonder how many children will die before this receives broader attention ?

Another Cardiac Related Death of a Child

Photo immediately above found in UK Daily Mail


This particular death just occured, and was caused by apparent commotio cordis, the cessation of the heart beat when a strike occurs during the vulnerable period of the heartbeat resulting in arrest. No detail is included as to whether an AED was attempted or how quickly this child received CPR.
Of course, many Long QT deaths, or even commotio cordis deaths received CPR, and still did not pull through. My condolences,once again, go out to another family who is without their beloved son, for the remaining of their own time on Earth.

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Wednesday, June 1, 2011

13-year-old killed by pitch in Arizona Little League game Associated Press

By Cameron Smith

Tragedy struck in Winslow, Ariz. on Wednesday morning when a 13-year-old Little Leaguer died hours after being struck by a pitch in the middle of a game.
haydenwaltondeath

According to the Associated Press as well as a variety of Arizona outlets including ABC 15 News, Hayden Walton was struck by a pitch in the chest when he turned to bunt during a game on Tuesday night. The pitch reportedly struck the middle schooler in the chest, directly over his heart. That stopped his heart entirely; a condition medically referred to as commotio cordis, according to ABC 15.

"He took an inside pitch right in the chest," Winslow Little League official Jamey Jones told the AP. "After that he took two steps to first base and collapsed."

Walton was almost immediately transported to the nearest hospital, but he never recovered and was pronounced dead on Wednesday morning. The Winslow Little League suspended all games until Friday as a result and the incident was kept under wraps while those closest with the Walton family grieved for the loss of a young member of the Winslow community. Understandably, the Walton parents -- who also have a young daughter -- have been unwilling to speak to the press because of their shock and grief.

That sense of tragedy has been shared by members of Little League's national branch, where Steve Keener, the president and CEO of Little League Baseball and Softball, released a statement offering up condolences for all those connected with the tragedy.

"Words cannot adequately express our sorrow on the passing of Hayden," Keener told the AP. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Hayden's family, all the players and volunteers of the Winslow Little League, his classmates, and his friends, at this difficult time.

"The loss of a child is incomprehensible."

While Hayden Walton loved playing sports, he was also considered a rising pillar of the community for performing a variety of good deeds. He was a Boy Scout and, notably, mowed lawns and pitched in on odd jobs like taking out the trash for older widowed women who lived in his neighborhood.

As of Friday night, no news about when or where Walton would be buried had been released. In the meantime, the Winslow community will continue to grieve over what can only be considered an overpowering and shocking loss.

"It's a hard thing to handle for everyone," Walton family spokesman Dale Thomas told the AP. "When you're touched by something of this magnitude, it sends shock waves throughout the community."
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