Thick heart?

[momshell7]

Does anyone know what it means when someone's heart is a little thicker than normal? Detroit Red Wing's Defensemen Jiri Fischer collapsed during the game last night and according to the reports he had a seizure and his heart stopped. They administered CPR on him and used a defibulator to get his heart started again. It was reported that in 2002 he was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat, I think, but was cleared to play after passing a stress test and other tests. In an article I read earlier it said that his heart was said to be thicker than normal but it wasn't anything to worry about.
Does this make sense to anyone? Could this heart problem cause a seizure? Is is possible that he just collapsed and didnt' actually have a seizure? Sorry this really freaked me out as it happened during a game. He had just come off the ice from playing and collapsed as he sat on the bench.

Please keep him in your prayers. He is only 25 and other wise very healthy.


Thanks
Michelle

 

[Harrybaby666]

It could be that his heart muscle is thickening from

It could be that his heart muscle is thickening from

a disease such as Cardiomyopathy...Like I have It's where the heart muscles are growing extra fibers in the heart muscle thus thickening the muscle and stiffening the muscle as time goes on....The technical term for it is called "Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy"...this may not be the case, but it was worth mentioning as a possibility..Hope this helps you....Harrybaby

 

[Emma]

There is also DCM which is a dilated cardiomypathy - a thickening of the walls of the heart. I have a friend with 3 sons and a husband all with this condition.

Emma
xxx

 

[momshell7]

Thanks for the replies, the updates I have seen so far today say that he is doing very well. They are still running some tests to try and determine what causes the convulsions. It is all so scary. I know it sounds strange for me to be so upset and concerned over someone I dont' even know and probably never will even meet, but I have watched this person play hockey for the past several years and I feel like I sort of know the players or at least have a connection to them through our mutal love of hockey. Just want everything to be ok with him.

Anyhow thanks for the replies.

 

[Harmony]

I do not understand why they said he had a seizure when his heart had stopped which is what I have read. I am not even a hockey fan but I too felt bad about this happening to such a young person. If he had an irregular heart beat and found to have thickening of the heart which is probably either the heart muscle or one of the valves why is he playing in competiitve sports. I really dont understand this.

 

[momshell7]

I do not understand why they said he had a seizure when his heart had stopped which is what I have read. I am not even a hockey fan but I too felt bad about this happening to such a young person. If he had an irregular heart beat and found to have thickening of the heart which is probably either the heart muscle or one of the valves why is he playing in competiitve sports. I really dont understand this.

This was in the Detroit Free Press this morning:

As of Tuesday, doctors knew only that Fischer's heart fell into a terminal rhythm, which means the muscle wasn't beating in an organized manner and was unable to pump blood back out into the body. Without blood, his brain was deprived of oxygen, and without oxygen, his brain likely sent electrical impulses, which might have caused the convulsions.

So why did the 25-year-old defenseman's heart fall into a terminal rhythm?

Team physician Anthony Colucci said Tuesday that it was too early to say, and that cardiologists at Detroit Receiving Hospital were running a series of tests to figure that out. But Colucci did say the cause of the terminal rhythm was likely "cardiac related."

By suggesting it's cardiac related, doctors think the underlying issue is likely the heart itself and not a problem with, say, the neurological or immune system.

In general, when a professional athlete drops in the field of play, it's sometimes because of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, said Dr. Hakan Oral, a University of Michigan cardiologist. It's a genetic condition that results in a thickened heart muscle, which is vulnerable to potentially fatal electrical disturbances, particularly during competitive sports.

 

[momshell7]

The article goes on to say:

Seizures occur due to the interruption of blood flow to the brain during these episodes," said Oral, also an electrophysiologist at U-M's Cardiovascular Center.

Among other potential causes are electrical disturbances in the heart itself and rhythm issues caused by an extra nerve fiber between the upper and lower chambers, Oral said.

"These are rare conditions," he said.

Until studies are finished, doctors won't know when, or if, Fischer can return.

A routine electrocardiogram found an abnormality in Fischer's heart in September 2002. Fischer said his heart was a little thicker than normal. But later stress tests came back fine. Colucci wouldn't speculate Tuesday whether the condition discovered then and Monday night's episode were related.


On a good note, he was released from the hospital today!!

They have said over and over that if the doctors wouldn't have been right behind the bench when it happened he probably would have died. So thank God for that fact that it happened when and where it did. The quick reactions of the medical personnel and the other teammates saved his life. His heart was restarted quickly enough too that there was no damage to his brain or muscles or anything. Guess I know what he will be thankful for tomorrow.

 

[Marguerite53]

We just had 2 high school basketball players die this season as a result of undiagnosed cardiomyopathy. Tragic! It is difficult to understand how these kids are getting through our state's strict health policies. I've recently been corresponding with the Natl. Marfan's Foundation and they say that our state has one of the best screening systems in the country. But it's just a list of questions! There is no actual "screening" as I would define it. Are the doctors who sign off on these really paying close enough attention? and what is happening in every other school district across the country?

Here's the article from a local news site.....

"David Heller, a student at Central Catholic High School, died from a condition called cardiomyopathy, which means he had an enlarged heart.

The condition is the same one that killed a basketball player from Grant High School, Eddie Barnett, earlier this year.

Last Tuesday, Heller played a game harder than he had in a long time, so hard that his parents noticed that he was having trouble breathing.

That night, he went home and things seemed normal, but as he slept that night, he quietly passed away.

Cardiologist Marc Legras says there are warning signs that a child might have an enlarged heart.


Chest pains while exercising
Fainting while doing sports
Experiencing high emotion
Legras says family history is a key factor because the gene is transmitted from parent to child.

No one in Heller's family had been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, but they are all planning to be tested, just in case.

Doctors say a basic sports physical could pick up a murmur, indicating an enlarged heart, but it would more likely be detected with an EKG or an ultrasound of the heart. However, those procedures are costly. "

Scary stuff, parents!!

Marguerite

 

[Lynlw]

Marguerite could you post the link?

Marguerite could you post the link?

to that article. My one friend and I that try to get better screening for newborn and and schoolage athletes, try t keep a file of all the stories like this, hoping that might help (you know stories instead of just numbers)
Oh I just realized my friend also posts here she is Jeanne, matts Mom (who we met inperson this weekend finally ) It is so sad to know about so many deaths that good,
I think it is sad if your states is one of the best at screening BUT still doesn't do any of the testing that good actually pick up the undxd heart problems, just asks questions, can you imagine how bad the other are? it actually makes me furious. Lyn

 

[Marguerite53]

Lyn. Here you are http://www.katu.com/stories/81434.html

Keep us posted on your progress. If you were to start a thread, here, about it (or maybe I missed it that you did already) you might conjure up a lot more information from our members.

Thank you both for your efforts.

Marguerite

 

[Rush20]

Although a scary event, I'm glad the young man is alive and although his professional sports career may be over, he can still look forward to a long life.

The good news from this is that these type of events bring further and needed attention to cardiovasular and heart related issues. It helps offset the stigma that only people who are overweight, smoke, don't exercise, etc. suffer from heart-related issues.

I'm sure we're reaching a point in the collegiate level and perhaps even the high school level that all athletes will receive more thorough testing to detect any type of heart-related issues.

 

[Marguerite53]

Rebecca. I'm taking the liberty of copy/pasting your comment in another thread and placing it here. I suppose I should've asked Ross to do this since it would look more like it should, but, well, I'm kinda stubborn...... Anyway, I thought this would be excellent advice in this thread also. Marguerite

*********************************************************

Rebecca
Registered User Join Date: May 2003
Location: Georgia
Posts: 57

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Atlanta Georgia students can get scan for $58. This company takes their machines to some of the schools on the weekend and do mini echoes. Their machines were not being used on weekends so in the summer they have made money by taking them to some of schools.

Smart Heart Scan:
http://smartheartscans.com/home.asp


More companys should take their machines to schools on some weekend to do mini scans.

 

[Lynlw]

Marguerite

Marguerite

you asked me to keep you posted on my progress w/ things, did you see the thread about needing help to get the CHD bill passed? there is a link that goes to the resolution and one of the things, is better newborn screening for CHD among other things, Lyn