Piedmont Healthcare offers advice in the wake of Bronny James’ cardiac arrest

Cardiologist for Piedmont Healthcare, Dr. Jayne Morgan, it's incredibly rare for people under the age of 35 to experience cardiac arrest.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Medical professionals in Georgia are responding after Lebron James’ son, 18-year-old Bronny James,  suffered a cardiac arrest during basketball practice this week.

According to Executive Director of Health and Community Education and Cardiologist for Piedmont Healthcare, Dr. Jayne Morgan, it’s incredibly rare for people under the age of 35 to experience cardiac arrest. She says only about 2,000 cases are reported in the U.S. each year.

Dr. Morgan says the most common causes of cardiac arrest in young people are congenital heart defects or an enlargement of the heart that may not have been detected in screenings.

“We have to think of what else may have been going on in Bronny’s body with his heart that may have led to that, including whether or not he may have even had some symptoms of which either he was unaware, or had not told anyone about or really didn’t think much about them,” she said.

Heat exhaustion or dehydration could also have been contributing factors in Bronny’s cardiac arrest, according to Dr. Morgan.

Signs of potential cardiac arrest include chest pain, shortness of breath and fatigue.

Dr. Morgan recommends athletes report any symptoms as soon as they appear. She also encourages athletic staff and teammates to learn about CPR and for athletic programs to have a defibrillator so that someone experiencing cardiac arrest can receive treatment quickly.

She says the minutes that go by when someone is not receiving CPR decreases their likelihood of surviving or returning to a normal state once they are revived.