Satisfaction expressed by the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies following the approval by the Health Commission of the Regional Council of Tuscany of the draft law for the prevention of sudden cardiac death in young people
The Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa welcomes the approval by the Health Commission of the Regional Council of Tuscany of the draft law introducing a series of measures for the prevention of sudden cardiac death in young people. The proposal, signed by all members of the commission, was voted unanimously and will go to the Regional Council for final approval at the end of the month.
The draft law stems from an initiative supported by the Sant'Anna School and the Gabriele Monasterio Foundation. Among the signatories is an interdisciplinary group of professors and researchers from the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa: Michele Emdin and Alberto Giannoni, respectively full professor and associate professor at the Sant'Anna School's Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Health Sciences; Emanuele Rossi, full professor at the Dirpolis Institute of the Sant'Anna School; Fabio Pacini, researcher at the University of Tuscia affiliated with the Health Centre; Iacopo Olivotto, full professor of Cardiology at the University of Florence.
The draft law revolves around four key points: the establishment of a regional register on sudden cardiac death in young people to collect all cases of sudden death and resuscitated cardiac arrest; a plan for the early identification of heart disease in secondary schools; the introduction of cardiopulmonary resuscitation courses in secondary schools, aimed at both school staff and students; the adoption of measures for the dissemination and correct management of automatic external defibrillators with the mapping of the regional territory and the implementation of an app that allows rescuers to immediately locate the nearest AED.
Statements
"Prevention is one of the best forms of treatment, and this is even more so when prevention can save lives. This is the aim of the draft law in question, which is an excellent result of collaboration between academic research and regional policy makers, to the benefit of a better quality of life for all,‘ said Prof. Emanuele Rossi.
’The draft law on the prevention of sudden death in young people is a perfect example of the third mission that universities should pursue: transforming research projects into initiatives with potential positive repercussions on civil society. This is also the mission of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies' interdisciplinary Health Science Centre. In my opinion, this law, the first of its kind in Italy, will represent a real revolution, focusing attention on young people, who are often neglected by prevention campaigns. Young people are our future, and the time has come to make a serious investment in them. We must protect them, but also involve them as actors in a new health model that finally puts them at the centre of innovation in the health sector,‘ says Prof. Alberto Giannoni.
’This is the first regional law on a current and important issue that outlines solutions for the recognition and prevention of fatal events linked to congenital conditions such as channelopathies and cardiomyopathies. Two projects are leading the way on the issue of the register: the Florentine Torsade project, promoted by Prof. Olivotto and Prof. Cerbai, and the Pisa-based Just project, promoted by myself and Prof. Di Paolo with the contribution of the Pisa Foundation and continued by Alberto Giannoni as part of the THE and Proximity projects.- The Just Project involved the screening of 1,600 high school students with five diagnoses of conditions at risk of sudden death, laying the foundations for a pillar of the law. I am sure that the clinical community and other regions will welcome this legislative initiative,' comments Prof. Michele Emdin.
‘We are proud to be promoting a draft law that focuses on the life and well-being of people, especially young people. This initiative is concrete proof of how scientific research can be translated into effective actions that benefit the community,’ said Rector Nicola Vitiello.
