Tag: sca

Lisa Marie Presley Dies of Cardiac Arrest at Age 54

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Very sad update to the news about Lisa Marie Presley. RIP. This family has had far too much grief.

HCM Beat

All major news outlets reporting that Lisa Marie Presley has died this afternoon after suffering cardiac arrest at her home this morning.  She was resuscitated at home, and then transported to a local hospital where she passed away.

It has previously been reported that Elvis himself carried a HCM causing gene.   Elvis’ genetic analysis was featured in a program by U.K.’s Channel 4 Television in 2014.  Elvis’ mother also died before age 50 of a “heart attack.”

Sending deepest condolences to Priscilla Presley, daughters Riley Keough, Harper Lockwood and Finley Lockwood.

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Lisa Marie Presley Dies of Cardiac Arrest at Age 54

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All major news outlets reporting that Lisa Marie Presley has died this afternoon after suffering cardiac arrest at her home this morning.  She was resuscitated at home, and then transported to a local hospital where she passed away.

It has previously been reported that Elvis himself carried a HCM causing gene.   Elvis’ genetic analysis was featured in a program by U.K.’s Channel 4 Television in 2014.  Elvis’ mother also died before age 50 of a “heart attack.”

Sending deepest condolences to Priscilla Presley, daughters Riley Keough, Harper Lockwood and Finley Lockwood.

Sudden Death in HCM Less Common than Thought

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A recent study by Canadian researchers published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation found a much lower incidence of  HCM related sudden death than expected.  The study included deaths in individuals that occurred between the ages of 10 and 45 in the Canadian province of Ontario between 2005 and 2016.  According to lead author Dr. Paul Dorian of the University of Toronto, the expectation was that 1 incident of sudden cardiac death would be identified in every 100 to 200 people who had HCM.  Instead, researchers found that the likelihood of sudden death of HCM patients was instead only about 1 in 3,000 people/year.

The study also found that found 7 in 10 HCM-related sudden deaths occurred in people not previously diagnosed with the condition.  Men had more than 5 times the risk of sudden cardiac death than women, and most deaths occurred during rest or light activity: only about 17% happened during or immediately after exercise. 

As a result of the study, according to Dr. Dorian, “our findings allow us to lower the temperature on our degree of worry about the condition.”

Another clinical take away from the study, according to the researchers, is that current exercise guidelines for HCM patients may be too restrictive.

SCD Risk Assessment Guidelines in HCM: Impact of Myectomy & AFib

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A recent study by doctors at the Cleveland Clinic found that current guidelines used to assess risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in HCM fall short when applied to the population of patients with the obstructive form of HCM (HOCM).

The study looked at both the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines, and found that both sets of guidelines came up short in predicting SCD.  In particular, the study found that patients who had previously undergone myectomy had a reduced risk of SCD that is not accounted for in existing risk models.

Conversely, the study found that patients with atrial fibrillation had a higher risk of SCD, which is also not reflected in the existing risk models.

A companion editorial by Dr. Harzell Schaff of the Mayo Clinic explains the likely reasons for the myectomy findings, while a second accompanying editorial by Dr. John Jefferies of Cincinnatti Children’s Hospital (who has recently accepted an appointment at the U. of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis) maintains that the ESC and ACC/AHA guidelines should be changed to reflect the lower SCD risk following myectomy.

Click here for previous coverage of the ESC and ACC/AHA guidelines.  If you would like to try out the ESC Risk Calculator for yourself, click here.

 

 

ESC Risk Assessment Tool Comes Up Short in Study

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A recent study published in the American Journal of Cardiology found that the standards propounded by the American College of Cardiology Foundation with the American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) were superior in predicting which patients would benefit from an implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) compared to the calculator set forth by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).  According to the study, the use of the ESC tool will result in more high-risk patients going unprotected against sudden death.

Specifically, the study found that out of a group of 288 HCM patients, 14 who experienced aborted sudden cardiac arrest (or 43%) would not have qualified for an ICD under the ESC risk model compared to 7% of patients under the ACC/AHA guidelines.

The ACC/AHA guidelines are:

ICD Guidelines rev.

A companion editorial by Dr. Andreas S. Barth pointed out the shortcomings of both models, and reaffirmed the necessity for shared decision making between physicians and patients.  Dr. Barth also expressed hope that a more accurate predictive model will evolve, though he acknowledged the impossibility of designing a model which could predict future events with certainty.

 

Risk of Cardiac Arrest Low During Sex

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According to research presented this week at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions, the risk of dying from sudden cardiac arrest during or within 1 hour of sex is less than 1%.

The study, published by Dr. Sumeet Chugh of Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, looked at data collected in the Oregon Sudden Unexpected Death Study (Oregon SUDS) database between 2002 and 2015.

Dr. Chugh emphasized that survival was higher in the group of patients who received CPR, re-emphasizing the importance of teaching CPR in the general population.

For more details on this study, see these stories:

Newsweek

NBC News

Minn Post

 

 

A Risk Calculator for Sudden Death -Results of HCM-EVIDENCE Study

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The HCM Risk–SCD Score

In 2014, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) introduced a numerical predictor (the “HCM Risk–SCD score”) to assist physicians in identifying those patients at highest risk for sudden cardiac death who would benefit from the implantation of a prophylactic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.

Using an algorithm generated by the answers to a series of questions, the tool estimates the 5-year risk of sudden cardiac arrest for any particular patient.  You can find the tool online here.

Continue reading “A Risk Calculator for Sudden Death -Results of HCM-EVIDENCE Study” →

Guest Blogger – When a Seizure is not a Seizure – by Wendy Borsari

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It’s strange to think that a chaotic arrhythmia in the heart might actually appear to be a seizure caused by something that has gone haywire in the brain, but with sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) this can sometimes happen.

This is the true story of what happened to my daughter.

Continue reading “Guest Blogger – When a Seizure is not a Seizure – by Wendy Borsari” →

Duchess Kate’s Sister, Pippa, Supports British HCM Charity

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Pippa Middleton, who came to the public’s attention during the wedding of her sister Katherine to Prince William, has recently dedicated her efforts toward raising money for HCM genetic testing and research.  Middleton’s efforts are in honor of her late friend Miles Frost, who was lost to sudden cardiac arrest due to HCM in 2015. Frost’s father, British journalist and media personality David Frost, died from HCM just two years earlier in 2013, but this information was never communicated to the family.

The Miles Frost Fund, a partnership with the British Heart Foundation , helps families who have lost a member to a sudden death obtain genetic testing in order to learn if other family members are similarly affected. The Frost Fund also funds research by U.K.researchers working towards finding a cure for HCM.

Parent Heart Watch Featured on TODAY

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The work of Parent Heart Watch – an organization formed by parents of children who died due to sudden cardiac arrest -was featured on the Today show this week.

Parent Heart Watch works tirelessly so that AEDs are available in schools and on playing fields around the U.S. to ensure that children will not fall victim to SCA.

Great work PHW!