Heart Condition

A 19-year-old Virginia Military Institute cadet from Highland who died last month after a 10-mile march suffered cardiac arrest because of an underlying medical condition, a Virginia medical examiner has determined. John A. Evans collapsed in his barracks room and later died Nov. 7 after completing the march at the Lexington, Va., school with other freshmen. The medical examiner found that Evans' heart attack was due to idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis, an inherited disease of the heart muscle that causes thickening of the muscle and other changes that impair the heart's function, according to VMI spokesman Col. Stewart MacInnis.

After more than 100 pitches, the fastball had lost some steam and the breaking ball that baffled batters earlier in the game didn't have the same snap. South River senior pitcher Scott Mitchell, his dirty jersey showing the effects of an already demanding day, took a deep breath as pitching coach Gary Gubbings approached the mound for a second visit in the seventh inning. "Can you get this last guy out?" Gubbings asked as he looked the No. 5 Seahawks' ace in the eyes. Mitchell's response was quick and direct: "I got him. " With two runners on against No. 10 Severna Park in an Anne Arundel County matchup, Mitchell threw a high fastball that Falcons second baseman Danny Fulton swung through for the third strike to end the Seahawks' 2-1 win in early April.

It has taken 28 months, but former Virginia Techmen's basketball player Allan Chaney is finally poised to suit up for another Division I basketball program. The Baltimore native, who learned last August he would never be able to play for the Hokies because of concerns surrounding a heart condition, has committed to play for High Point University in North Carolina. “I appreciate everyone that has helped me through this process and I am hyped to play at High Point,” Chaney wrote The Baltimore Sun in an e-mail this morning.

Nobody believed Liu Fang, born with half a heart and abandoned in a village west of Beijing, would survive long after being adopted by a Baltimore County family. Even the Bartlinskis, deeply religious Catholics, expected the girl's lungs would fail even if her heart could be repaired. Two years later, as the 5-year-old girl awaits a cardiac transplant, her parents, a Catonsville school and the family's parish are literally praying for a miracle. She is awaiting the procedure at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

After more than 100 pitches, the fastball had lost some steam and the breaking ball that baffled batters earlier in the game didn't have the same snap. South River senior pitcher Scott Mitchell, his dirty jersey showing the effects of an already demanding day, took a deep breath as pitching coach Gary Gubbings approached the mound for a second visit in the seventh inning. "Can you get this last guy out?" Gubbings asked as he looked the No. 5 Seahawks' ace in the eyes. Mitchell's response was quick and direct: "I got him. " With two runners on against No. 10 Severna Park in an Anne Arundel County matchup, Mitchell threw a high fastball that Falcons second baseman Danny Fulton swung through for the third strike to end the Seahawks' 2-1 win in early April.

Women routinely receive less aggressive care for suspected heart conditions than men but survive just as well, an international study has found. Women diagnosed with a type of heart condition known as acute coronary syndrome are a third less likely than men to get invasive treatment such as bypass surgery, according to the study in this month's Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Yet the study found no difference in rates of death, heart attack or stroke. The result raises questions about why doctors approach care differently based on sex, said the lead author, Sonia Anand, an associate professor of medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

Last fall, as Perry Hall's junior varsity field hockey team played at Catonsville High, Gator freshman Breanna Sudano suddenly collapsed in cardiac arrest with 30 seconds left in a 2-1 victory. Sudano, who had scored both goals, lay motionless on the turf as as CPR was administered by parents and coaches. Friday night, fans attending the girls lacrosse double-header between the host Gators and Joppatowne wore smiles of relief, and players chanted "We want Bre,"as Sudano was proclaimed an honorary captain for the team.

A Loyola University senior was found unresponsive in his dorm room Monday evening and later pronounced dead at Union Memorial Hospital, the university said in a message to students, parents and faculty. Evan Girardi, 20, was a business major from Hopkinton, Mass., who spent the spring semester studying in Rome. The cause of death was unknown Tuesday, and a medical investigation is pending, said university spokeswoman Courtney Jolley. Jolley said Girardi's family informed the university that he was diagnosed with a heart condition at birth.

WAUCHULA, Fla. -- A glaring inconsistency has emerged in the story of a former nurse's aide who says doctors at a tiny Central Florida hospital conspired to swap Kimberly Mays with another baby 14 years ago.Patricia Webb, 59, announced this week that she was ordered to make the baby switch by a physician and that she refused, only to find later that someone else had made the swap. She heard three doctors discussing why they did it, she said in a nationally broadcast interview on the CBS Evening News.

Charles W. Mapes Jr.,78, whose hotel-casino in Reno, Nev., attracted the rich and famous during in the 1950s and 1960s, died Thursday at a San Diego hospital of complications after heart surgery.His hotel, which closed in 1982, was the first in the country to feature gambling, dining, entertainment and luxury accommodations under one roof.Thomas C. Cochran, 97, a former University of Pennsylvania professor regarded as a leading historian of U.S. business and economy, died of heart failure May 2 in Haverford, Pa.Dr.

It has taken 28 months, but former Virginia Techmen's basketball player Allan Chaney is finally poised to suit up for another Division I basketball program. The Baltimore native, who learned last August he would never be able to play for the Hokies because of concerns surrounding a heart condition, has committed to play for High Point University in North Carolina. “I appreciate everyone that has helped me through this process and I am hyped to play at High Point,” Chaney wrote The Baltimore Sun in an e-mail this morning.

Last fall, as Perry Hall's junior varsity field hockey team played at Catonsville High, Gator freshman Breanna Sudano suddenly collapsed in cardiac arrest with 30 seconds left in a 2-1 victory. Sudano, who had scored both goals, lay motionless on the turf as as CPR was administered by parents and coaches. Friday night, fans attending the girls lacrosse double-header between the host Gators and Joppatowne wore smiles of relief, and players chanted "We want Bre,"as Sudano was proclaimed an honorary captain for the team.

A Loyola University senior was found unresponsive in his dorm room Monday evening and later pronounced dead at Union Memorial Hospital, the university said in a message to students, parents and faculty. Evan Girardi, 20, was a business major from Hopkinton, Mass., who spent the spring semester studying in Rome. The cause of death was unknown Tuesday, and a medical investigation is pending, said university spokeswoman Courtney Jolley. Jolley said Girardi's family informed the university that he was diagnosed with a heart condition at birth.

Everyone complains about the weather, but when the mercury hits the stratosphere, the discontent sounds more like despair. "I'm burning up," Robin Spedalere, who was headed toward a cooling center in North Baltimore, said early Saturday afternoon as the temperature reached 99 degrees. "This is probably the hottest it's ever been in I don't know how long." As it happened, that number was 2 degrees hotter than the previous record for the date, in 1987. By 3 p.m. Saturday, gauges at BWI- Thurgood Marshall Airport reached 100 degrees, and Sunday's forecast called for temperatures only marginally less scorching.

Cadet's death linked to heart condition A 19-year-old Virginia Military Institute cadet from Highland who died last month after a 10-mile march suffered cardiac arrest because of an underlying medical condition, a Virginia medical examiner has determined. John A. Evans collapsed in his barracks room and later died Nov. 7 after completing the march at the Lexington, Va., school with other freshmen. The medical examiner found that Evans' heart attack was due to idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis, an inherited disease of the heart muscle that causes thickening of the muscle and other changes that impair the heart's function, according to VMI spokesman Col. Stewart MacInnis.

A 19-year-old Virginia Military Institute cadet from Highland who died last month after a 10-mile march suffered cardiac arrest because of an underlying medical condition, a Virginia medical examiner has determined. John A. Evans collapsed in his barracks room and later died Nov. 7 after completing the march at the Lexington, Va., school with other freshmen. The medical examiner found that Evans' heart attack was due to idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis, an inherited disease of the heart muscle that causes thickening of the muscle and other changes that impair the heart's function, according to VMI spokesman Col. Stewart MacInnis.

Former Baltimore Colts great Art Donovan was hospitalized yesterday after complaining of chest pains, but was expected to be released today, Channel 13 reported.Donovan did not suffer a heart attack, but was admitted for observation and listed in stable condition at Saint Joseph Hospital. The ex-lineman said last night that he felt fine and hoped to supervise construction of a pool at his Baltimore County home today.Donovan has previously been hospitalized with a heart condition.

BOSTON -- Reggie Lewis showed no signs of an abnormal heart when he underwent a stress test three days before he collapsed during a playoff game April 29, the Celtics' physician said yesterday.Dr. Arnold D. Scheller also was critical of the diagnosis by a second team of doctors that said Lewis had a "normal athlete's heart" and might be able to resume playing, calling its actions "cavalier."Scheller said yesterday he routinely monitors the heart rate of each of the Celtics twice a year while they exercise on a treadmill.

COLLEGE PARK - Danny Oquendo had felt this before - this flutter. "Back in high school, two or three times before, my heart would just trip out," the Maryland wide receiver and punt returner said. But this time, it felt different. Worse. "It was a winter workout last February, and I started to get dizzy and short of breath while we were doing sprints in the gym," he said. A specialist told him he needed surgery for a defect that had left an extra tube in his heart. There was a 1 percent to 3 percent chance he would require a pacemaker, ending his career.

Marilyn Smedberg-Gobbett lived with a rapid heart-rate condition for nearly 30 years. She would drive herself to the emergency room whenever it would strike, as frequently as twice a month when episodes were at their worst. "I'm a stubborn Swede who learned to tough it out," she said of her days living in New Hampshire. "Doctors didn't see the need to investigate my problem, and I was happy to live in denial. Like many women, I was a wife and working mother and hardly had time to be ill."