KU Athletic Heart Clinic Assists in Student Health

Safeguarding the elite athletes at such a storied sports program as the University of Kansas is no small feat.

However, Saint Luke’s Athletic Heart Clinic has made sure KU athletes were safe to play and perform at a champion level since 2004. Saint Luke’s was one of the region’s first to offer a program dedicated to caring for athletes’ hearts.

Through the Athletic Heart Clinic, all incoming KU athletes undergo a comprehensive heart exam to identify previously undiagnosed heart abnormalities that could place them at risk for sudden cardiac arrest. This includes structural and electrical abnormalities that would prevent the heart from working correctly during extreme aerobic stress.

“Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in young athletes,” said cardiologist Anthony Magalski, M.D., Athletic Heart Clinic medical director. “But it is preventable if identified before a catastrophic event occurs.

”Since the partnership began, Saint Luke’s cardiologists have examined more than 1,600 KU athletes from all sports and of both genders. They’ve identified 16 as at risk. As a result:

• 11 athletes resumed competition after receiving treatment at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute
• Three were deemed medically ineligible for competitive sports
• One received treatment in his hometown
• One continues to play with ongoing monitoring

Setting a game plan

During the 20-minute exam, Saint Luke’s heart experts record athletes’ height, weight, personal and family cardiovascular history, blood pressure in both arms, and perform an electrocardiogram (EKG) and specially designed echocardiogram (heart ultrasound). They also diligently quiz athletes on whether they’ve experienced these symptoms during or after exercise:

• Chest pain
• Fainting
• Unusual shortness of breath
• Racing or irregular heart beat

The Saint Luke’s heart experts then perform a final physical cardiac exam and review all the clinical data they’ve collected. They will then deem the athlete “safe to play” or recommend follow-up testing based on that athlete’s specific condition.

Since 2003, Dr. Magalski has led an ongoing clinical study that is assessing this cardiovascular screening protocol for athletes. While the NCAA doesn’t mandate this level of screenings, the Saint Luke’s Athletic Heart Clinic team is encouraged that this could change in the future.

Should the NCAA need proof, it need only look at the Saint Luke’s/KU partnership’s success: No KU athlete has experienced sudden cardiac arrest since Saint Luke’s began screening athletes’ hearts.

“It’s difficult to describe the rush we feel after discovering that a seemingly healthy athlete has a potential serious heart abnormality,” said Marcia McCoy, R.N., M.S.N., director of the Athletic Heart Program. “We’ve possibly prevented a family from losing a child. It’s an amazing feeling.”