Fondazione Pisa provides financial support for the JUST project to prevent Sudden Cardiac Death in Young People. Project presentation will be held on June 28, 2018
The JUST “JUvenile Sudden cardiac deaTh: JUST know and treat” project presentation will take place at the Fondazione Pisana per le Scienze in San Giuliano, Pisa, on June 28, 2018. Professors Michele Emdin and Claudio Passino, cardiologists at Sant'Anna School Life Sciences Institute along with Marco Di Paolo from University of Pisa have been working together with Fondazione Monasterio, Aoup and Usl Nordovest Toscana on genetic technology and pathophysiology of genetic cardiac diseases to provide new strategies for better identification of the cause of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA).
Unfortunately, despite numerous epidemiological studies and some major advances, the causes of SCA and death in young people vary. In addition, in at least two-third of cases the cause is still unknown. Sudden cardiac death in young athletes Alberto Contini, Antonio Palagini, Pietro Bellè (in Asciano-Pisa), and Davide Astori, once again sparked debates about the mechanisms for SCA prevention, specifically regarding the inclusion of the cardiac screening or cardiac imaging in routine evaluations. Though SCA is rare, its occurrence in young people who are presumably healthy has a large emotional impact on their family and social impact on the surrounding community. Therefore, considerable effort has been made to better understand the causes of SCA and to find out better strategies for prevention. In the majority of cases, the most commonly identified cause for death in young athletes is a genetic condition characterized by left ventricular hypertrophy and cardiac myocyte disarray predisposing to ventricular arrhythmias. In Italy, recent reports have found that the most common cause of sudden cardiac death in young athletes is right ventricular cardiomyopathy.
The JUST project aims to develop an effective response to premature sudden death. It aims to recommend specific inquiries about family history of cardiovascular symptoms (chest pain, syncope, dyspnea), evaluations extending beyond family history which can include cardiac imaging, exercise testing, and electrophysiological evaluation, the addition of pre-participation evaluation by clinicians with expertise in the cardiovascular care of athletes, increased access to automated external defibrillators as well as training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation at a community level.
Autopsy reports containing extensive information on autopsy results and circumstances of death, databases of the forensic medical institutes, information on timing of symptoms and public awareness (through social media) of cardiac symptoms and risk factors can be important means of reducing premature sudden death in athletes.
The workshop keynote speakers include Emanuela Turillazzi, Fulvio Basolo, Michele Emdin, Marco Di Paolo, Claudio Passino, Enrica Chiti, Benedetta Guidi, Veronica Musetti, Angela Pucci, Nicoletta Botto, Simona Vittorini, Martina Modena and Chiara Mazzanti discussing the topic “Dal tessuto alla diagnosi”. Giovanni Comandè, Marcello Piacenti, Andrea Rossi, Luca Panchetti, Umberto Startari, Giovanni Donato Aquaro, Andrea Barison, Alberto Giannoni, Gianluca Mirizzi, Alberto Aimo, Maria Teresa Dell'Anno, Giuseppe Vergaro, Stefano D'Errico, Massimo Martelloni, Emilio Pasanisi, Francesco Sbrana, and Maurizio Cecchini will focus on “Dalla diagnosi all'intervento”. In the afternoon session, invited speakers include Fondazione Pisa and Fondazione Pisana representatives, Fabio Beltram, Claudio Pugelli, Luciano Ciucci, Pierdomenico Perata, Luca Sebastiani, Michele Emdin, Claudio Passino, Marco Di Paolo, Riccardo Zucchi, Elisabetta Cerbai, Iacopo Olivotto, Massimo Martelloni, Stefania Saccardi, Sergio Di Maio, Sonia Pieraccioni, Maria Teresa De Lauretis, Edoardo Majno, Giuseppe Figlini, Renato Guerrini, Iacopo Olivotto, Enrico Pè, Peter J. Schwartz, and Stefano Taddei.
ConAlbe onlus association will present the awards ceremony in memory of Alberto Contini and Anna Maria Viviani.
