Seventeen-year-old Adam Ankers and 20-year-old Matthew Dunning died from sudden cardiac arrest in the UK, linked to undiagnosed heart conditions. About 600 young people under 35 die each year, roughly two per day. Their families support Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) and call for more research funding and a national cardiac screening programme for all over-14s. Adam collapsed during a match after complaining of chest pains. Paramedics arrived to find him cold and blue, with a defibrillator open but not connected. Adam later died in hospital after unsurvivable brain damage. An inquest found that coaches and the 999 call handler did not recognise irregular, shallow breathing as a sign of cardiac arrest, and that failure to spot cardiac arrest more than minimally contributed to his death.
"When they [paramedics] got to Adam's side he was cold, blue but the defibrillator was open out of the box next to him but not connected and had they connected it, it would have delivered a shock and told them to carry on CPR, so the device that could have saved him was there but it wasn't used,"
"Their bereaved parents, who are from Buckinghamshire and Hampshire, are supporting the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) with its campaign for more funding for research and for the introduction of a national cardiac screening programme for all over-14s."
"His inquest earlier this year heard that neither the coaches nor the 999 call handler recognised his irregular, shallow breathing was a sign of cardiac arrest. It appears there had been confusion over whether the defibrillator could be used safely on a teenager, which it could."
"The coroner ruled a failure to spot Adam was suffering from cardiac arrest "more than minimally" contributed to his death. "He shouldn't be dead," says Alastair. "He was failed by the system... and none"
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