Andover, Mass. - Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) today announced its continued support of Team of Physicians for Students(TOPS) annual sports physicals event in Phoenix, Arizona to help uncover heart conditions that may lead to sudden cardiac death (SCD). Philips' Save an Athlete program aims to improve health and wellness by educating student athletes, their families, doctors, athletic directors and coaches about preventing sudden death through early cardiac testing.

Each year, SCD affects approximately 5,000-7,000 young people in the United States.[i] SCD in student athletes is sometimes caused by congenital cardiovascular conditions, such as Long QT Syndrome or Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), which can be identified using easy but sophisticated diagnostic tests, like an electrocardiogram (ECG) or echocardiogram (echo or cardiac ultrasound). Preventative cardiac testing helps detect these types of conditions. Most athletes, their friends and family are unaware of these conditions unless SCD strikes. According to the Cleveland Clinic, HCM is a condition that causes excessive thickening of the heart muscle and affects as many as 1.5 million Americans, making it the most common cause of SCD in people under age 30.[ii] In fact, an ECG exam can help detect heart conditions that account for up to 60 percent of SCDs in young athletes.[iii]

"Too many student athletes are dying from cardiac conditions that are detectable and treatable," said Paul Steingard, D.O., and founder of TOPS. "TOPS is thrilled to join forces once again with Philips to help reduce the risk of sudden death in young athletes and to raise awareness around this significant and sometimes overlooked issue."
A leader in the diagnostic health market, Philips started the Save an Athlete campaign in 2006 to help support testing programs across the country, such as the TOPS event. Unlike most sports physicals, TOPS events are free, include a family health history review and non-invasive cardiac testing which utilizes ECGs and a echo exam, an ultrasound of the heart.

Last year's TOPS event conducted cardiac testing on over 2,500 student athletes, identifying 385 students that required follow-up examinations. From those, 114 students were not cleared to participate in sports due to potentially fatal heart conditions first detected by abnormal ECGs and echo exams.

"The use of cardiac testing with ECG and echo exams in sports physicals can help identify heart conditions that could trigger sudden death that would not be otherwise identified through an ordinary physical examination or medical history," said William Rappoport, M.D., F.A.C.C., Arizona Heart Institute. "Now in our ninth year since adding cardiac testing, the TOPS event is one of the country's largest sports physicals of its kind and provides athletes, their parents, coaches and physicians with simple and effective health tests that may ultimately help prevent a terrible tragedy."

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