Dr. David Shipon
Children commonly suffer from colds, stomach aches and the occasional case of the sniffles; all of which are easy to treat with some sleep and some cough medicine. But what happens when a true medical emergency strikes? Sudden cardiac arrest, when the heart stops beating, can affect people of all ages, including children.
Cardiologist David M. Shipon, MD, FACC, director of Cardiac Rehabilitation at Jefferson and chief medical officer at Simon’s Fund spoke with the Philadelphia Inquirer to discuss cardiac arrest among this underrepresented group.
Simon’s Fund is working towards creating a database for records of voluntary screenings that researchers could use to better estimate rates of pediatric heart conditions. Research has shown that surprisingly, young athletes are almost twice more likely than their counterparts to suffer from sudden cardiac arrest.
Physicians are working to prevent this disease before it strikes. According to a 1982 Italian study, screenings were made mandatory for athletes ages 12-35. Over two decades, sudden cardiac deaths dropped 90 percent.
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