The Cause
Education & Awareness
Education and awareness of sudden cardiac events and deaths is another very important goal of the Jordan Boyd Foundation.
As in many cases of sudden cardiac death, particularly in young people, we are left to wonder how this could happen. Jordan was an extremely fit and outwardly healthy young man and athlete, who worked out with a professional trainer 4-5 days a week.
The Jordan Boyd Foundation and the Boyd family are telling Jordan’s story with several goals in mind:
- Raise the awareness of the possibility of a young person having an inherited heart disease , even without any family history, as was the case with Jordan
- In the case of athletes, have parents, athletes, and sports organizations consider more in depth cardiac screening. This could include EKG’s, ECG’s, and MRI’s or other screening tests that a Doctor or health care professional may recommend.
- Be aware of potential signs of a cardiac problem. Although in roughly 50% of sudden cardiac deaths there are no advance warnings in some cases there are. Fainting, dizzy spells, and irregular heart beat are some warning signs health care professionals have identified.
- Creating more awareness of and supporting broader training in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) as well as wider availability of an training in the use of Automated External Defibrillators (AED’s). Immediate response with CPR and AED in the event of a cardiac arrest are proven to greatly increase chances of survival.
Links
Dr. M. Gardner – Genes and Inherited Disease
Website – Hearts in Rythym Organization – HiRO
A mothers story: Turning a tragedy into a legacy
Placement of Automated External Defibrillators in Nova Scotia Communities
Cardiovascular Screening in Young Athletes: Evidence for the Electrocardiogram
Pre-screening for young athletes at risk of sudden cardiac death
Medical Research
Sudden cardiac arrest in young people is more prevalent than many people realize. How can a young, fit, healthy athlete like Jordan suddenly collapse and pass away from cardiac arrest? As a prominent medical researcher in sudden cardiac arrest in Canada, Dr. Andrew Krahn has said “this is the lightning strike”.
Cardiac arrest is the failure of blood circulation because the heart is unable to pump blood effectively. When there is no obvious structural heart disease, this is referred to as unexplained cardiac arrest (UCA). Between 30-60% of UCA cases who undergo additional special tests will have a cause due to inherited cardiac abnormalities, where out of sync electrical activity can have the heart beating unusually fast, leading to blackouts or sudden death. Some of the patients who experience this have an abnormal electrocardiogram (EKG), while others’ EKGs are normal. It is therefore critical to pinpoint the cause of the inherited abnormalities and the possible consequences for family members.
For example, in Jordan’s case, he had a condition called Arrhythmatic Right Ventricle Cardiomyopathy (ARVC), that was undetected. Six weeks before Jordan passed away, he had a complete medical as mandated by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and was declared fit to play. Research and studies of sudden cardiac arrest in younger people is critical to identifying risk factors, earlier detection , and potential treatments.
The Jordan Boyd Foundation using funds raised from the Jordan Boyd Celebrity Hockey Challenge are proud to support important medical research and training into inherited heart diseases, particularly ARVC.
To date, significant support has been given to Dr. Andrew Krahn, Head of the Division of Cardiology at the University of British Columbia, and a prominent Canadian researcher into inherited heart diseases. An internationally recognized expert in the management of cardiac arrhythmias, Dr. Krahn’s current research interests include investigating the genetic causes of heart arrhythmias. He has published 245 papers in peer-reviewed journals and is the president of the Canadian Heart Rhythm Society.Dr. Krahn has been spearheading a group of researchers, cardiologists, and scientists across Canada who undertake research studies into inherited heart diseases and maintain a database to further understanding of inherited heart diseases, the goal of which is to understand and identify these conditions in advance of a traumatic event, ultimately leading to the saving of lives.
In 2015, the Jordan Boyd Foundation, again through funds raised from the Jordan Boyd Celebrity Hockey Challenge, was pleased to be able to support advanced education and training for Dr. Ciorsti McIntyre, a doctor and researcher with the Inherited Heart Disease Clinic of the Queen Elizabeth Health Sciences Center and Dalhousie Medical School in Halifax. Through this support, Dr. McIntyre was able to be able to take advanced training and learning with some of the brightest minds in inherited heart diseases at the Mayo Clinic in Boston. Dr. McIntyre will bring her knowledge back to Canada and Nova Scotia and continue her work with the Inherited Heart Research Clinic in Halifax.
Links
Detecting Underlying Cardiovascular Disease In Young Athletes