Student-athletes twice as likely to suffer cardiac arrest, WakeMed offers free EKG screenings
Student-athletes are twice as likely as non-athletes to suffer from cardiac arrest, according to local doctors.
The recent case of LeBron James' son, Bronny, who suffered sudden cardiac arrest during practice, has raised awareness of the risks of heart problems in young athletes.
In response, WakeMed offered free EKG screenings Thursday for young athletes. All 125 slots for the event were booked, showing how serious parents are about ensuring their children are safe.
Amy Karam's sons Lucas and Parker's EKG screenings at Wake Med took less than 5 minutes.
"What other chance are two healthy young boys going to get to have a sneak peek EKG to see if there is something underlying that wouldn't have otherwise been able to diagnose," Karam said.
Karam's boys swim and play other sports. She knows the chances of them suffering a cardiac arrest while in the pool or on the field are low, but they are not zero.
"In sports, we push them really hard and in the heat and they're dehydrated and everything," Karam said. "It's just scary to think if the right people aren't there."
That's why she signed up for the free screenings so that doctors can check for potential underlying conditions.
"Doc says you're all good to go," Karam said.
If the doctors do notice something on scans like these, they can guide the athletes to further testing and treatment.
However, not every cardiac arrest has an underlying condition. Alex Beuris suffered one 15 years ago at Cardinal Gibbons High School playing lacrosse.
"I think if I took an EKG before and took one after, something might not show up because mine was kind of a freak accident," Beuris said.
Beuris remains grateful there were parents and staff who knew exactly what to do that day and saved his life. Parents like Karam are hopeful today's screening prevents them from going through the same thing.
"From when they're babies, you're checking ultrasounds and measuring organs and you're worrying about everything and the worry never stops," Beuris said.
WakeMed says Thursday's response was incredible and plans to hold more events as soon as possible.
