Doctors renew call for cardiac exams after lacrosse player's death

<p>Medical experts have renewed calls for more cardiac exams for student athletes after a 16-year-old Holmdel lacrosse player died from an undiagnosed heart condition.</p>

News 12 Staff

Sep 23, 2017, 12:40 AM

Updated 2,408 days ago

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Medical experts have renewed calls for more cardiac exams for student athletes after a 16-year-old Holmdel lacrosse player died from an undiagnosed heart condition.
Jack Dowd died Sunday after playing in a lacrosse game at Rutgers University. The teen’s family says that he was standing on the field with friends after playing when he suddenly collapsed.
This family shared a letter online explaining his medical condition, which affects 1 out of every 10,000 student athletes.
Doctors say that students should be checked for heart conditions before participating in sports.
"If he complains of palpitations, feels like heart is racing; if he's short of breath while engaging in activities; if he gets light-headed or dizzy or passing out, those are warning signs and those are the kids who should be checked out,” says Jersey Shore University Medical Center cardiologist Dr. Ihab Girgis.
Dr. Girgis says that sudden death in athletes occurs 1 in 50,000 per year. He adds that the warning signs only show up in about a third of the cases.
Services were held for Dowd Friday. His parents said that he died doing what he loved surrounded by his teammates and friends.


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