Simon Fraser University
Wednesday March 7, 2012
The Science Behind Sudden, Unexpected Cardiac Death.
Synopsis:
How often have you read in astonishment, of a young athlete who is asymptomatic and by all accounts fit and healthy dying suddenly in the middle of an athletic event? Only two years ago the star quarterback of the SFU football team, died suddenly while undergoing rehab in the SFU swimming pool. Research in basic and clinical science has been starting to uncover the mechanisms behind these deaths and the vast majority are due to mutations that affect either directly or indirectly the electrical activity of the heart. In many cases, the electrocardiogram (ECG) may be normal at rest and thus there are precious few clues that these individuals may be at risk for sudden expected cardiac death. The talk will address the underlying mechanisms that are often at the root of these unexpected deaths. It will also address what must be done both in the short term and the long term to reduce the incidence and the impact of these untoward electrical events in the heart.
Speaker:
Dr. Glen Tibbits
Canada Research Chair in Molecular Cardiac Physiology
Professor and Chair
Department of Biomedical Physiology & Kinesiology
Simon Fraser University
Principal Scientist, Child and Family Research Institute
The Science Behind Sudden, Unexpected Cardiac Death.
Synopsis:
How often have you read in astonishment, of a young athlete who is asymptomatic and by all accounts fit and healthy dying suddenly in the middle of an athletic event? Only two years ago the star quarterback of the SFU football team, died suddenly while undergoing rehab in the SFU swimming pool. Research in basic and clinical science has been starting to uncover the mechanisms behind these deaths and the vast majority are due to mutations that affect either directly or indirectly the electrical activity of the heart. In many cases, the electrocardiogram (ECG) may be normal at rest and thus there are precious few clues that these individuals may be at risk for sudden expected cardiac death. The talk will address the underlying mechanisms that are often at the root of these unexpected deaths. It will also address what must be done both in the short term and the long term to reduce the incidence and the impact of these untoward electrical events in the heart.
Speaker:
 |
Dr. Glen Tibbits
Canada Research Chair in Molecular Cardiac Physiology
Professor and Chair
Department of Biomedical Physiology & Kinesiology
Simon Fraser University
Principal Scientist, Child and Family Research Institute