Thomas N. Smith was a "healthy" 17-year-old high school senior when he came home one evening saying his heart was beating fast. He collapsed. His parents performed CPR until the paramedics arrived. He never regained consciousness and died of Sudden Cardiac Arrest. It was determined that Thomas had Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (enlarged or thickening of the heart muscle).
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is an electrical issue in the heart that causes the heart to stop beating suddenly. It is not a heart attack. SCA can lead to Sudden Cardiac Death if the heart is not started again. 80% of all youth who have SCA have no symptoms until they collapse.
Thomas is not alone. Last year national 911 call centers responded to over 23,500 calls for children with cardiac emergencies.
