Orono-based University of Maine football player Darius Minor, 18, died during a workout July 24 due to sudden heart failure, the No. 1 nontraumatic cause of death in college athletes, according to Bangor Daily News.
Mr. Minor died from aortic dissection with cardiac tamponade. The Maine medical examiner's office ruled hypertension as a contributing factor, according to the report.
Sudden heart failure remains an issue within the NCAA. In 2014, the association held a summit to discuss prevention methods. A task force was later assembled to issue guidelines for how to respond to an athlete experiencing heart problems. The findings were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Researchers used cases from the NCAA Memorial Resolutions list, media reports and NCAA catastrophic insurance data to compile a 10-year analysis of unexpected deaths due to cardiac causes in athletes from 2003 to 2013.
The analysis showed the overall risk of unexpected death due to cardiac causes in NCAA athletes is 1 in 54,000 athletes per year. The exertion-related risk in a male athlete is 1 in 38,000 and for a female athlete is 1 in 122,000.
The study authors concluded cardiovascular screening of NCAA athletes should include a standardized personal and family history, physical examination, ECG screening and secondary testing of screening abnormalities. Additionally, the management of identified cardiac disorders should be consulted with cardiovascular specialists. All NCAA member institutions are recommended to have an established emergency action plan to respond to an athlete with a cardiac emergency.