Medical and sports practitioners join forces to tackle sudden death in young people at SADS Conference 2015

HEALTHCARE professionals, sports coaches, teachers and youth leaders are being invited to a trailblazing conference that examines issues around sudden heart deaths in young people.

The third annual SADS Awareness Conference is being organised by local charity the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust (JHMT) in conjunction with the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.

Online booking is now open for the conference, which will take place on Friday 2nd October at Leicester City Football Club. The event falls on the eve of the festival of rugby week in the city, when three Rugby World Cup group 2015 matches take place at the LCFC King Power stadium.

SADS stands for sudden arrhythmic death syndrome. It's part of a group of subtle heart diseases that claim the lives of 12 teenagers and young adults, aged 12-35, every week in the UK. Some conditions causing SADS affect whole families.

This year, for the first time, the conference has extended its scope to reach a wider audience. As well as inviting healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses and paramedics to come along and find out more about SADS, conference organisers are extending the invitation to sports coaches, teachers, community nurses, physios and youth leaders.

The event will be opened by Martin Johnson, former England rugby captain and patron of the JHMT.

Martin said: "It's vitally important that as many people as possible learn more about subtle heart diseases and how they can affect young people.

"SADS and other subtle heart diseases can strike anyone, at any time. Sometimes, they can affect seemingly fit and healthy young people while they are playing sport.

"That's why it's so important that sports club coaches – and anyone who works with young people undertaking physical activity – knows the signs and knows what to do if someone collapses."

Dr Ffion Davies, consultant in A&E at Leicester's Hospitals, said: "Following the success of our last two conferences, this year we want to broaden the audience to include teachers, sports coaches and anyone who deals with teenagers and people in their 20s, because one day they may have to perform resuscitation. We want to show how easy and quick it is to learn CPR, and the importance of getting hold of a defibrillator quickly."

The conference has been tailored to allow flexible attendance – delegates can choose to take part in a morning session, an afternoon session, or attend all day.

Pricing has also been arranged flexibly to make the conference as accessible as possible. Registration fees start from £10 for an afternoon session for a student. An all-day place will cost a maximum of £65.

Workshops included in the conference programme cover topics such as ECG recognition, screening for families, bereavement and family support, and how to spot the warning signs of SADS. There will also be a simulated scene of someone collapsing with SADS to evaluate responses.

To kick off the sports session in the afternoon, a sports 'question time' with a panel of cardiology specialists will open up the debate and invite members of the audience to ask questions on the topic of screening young people in sport.

Guest speakers will include Dr Graham Stuart, a cardiologist from Bristol and Dr Rajay Narain, a cardiologist from London, as well as Dr Kal Parmar, a sports specialist from London.

Online booking is now open. To book a place, please apply online at http://jhmt.org.uk/events

For all enquiries, please contact Vicky Wills, fundraising and events co-ordinator, on vickywills.jhmt@hotmail.co.uk

Link to the event from Radcliffe Cardiology:
http://www.radcliffecardiology.com/events/sudden-arrhythmic-death-syndrome-one-day-conference-2015