Sudden arrhythmic death syndrome: 'Heart scan could have saved my brother'

Nicky Adair died in March 2020, aged 37, and his sister has raised money for heart scans in his memory

One hundred pupils at Belfast High School have had heart scans after a former student died of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS).

Nicky Adair died in March 2020, aged 37.

He was "fully fit and healthy", according to his brother and sister, who are trying to raise awareness of the condition.

"If Nicky was screened, he could've been saved," his sister, Amy Adair-McCourt, told BBC News NI.

Along with her brother, Philip, Amy has been fundraising for the potentially life-saving scans.

They hope the scans will prevent families of those pupils who underwent the tests experiencing a loss like they did.

Philip and Amy are working with CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) to raise awareness of SADS

One of the first pupils to receive an electrocardiogram (ECG) scan is encouraging others to get tested.

"I was talking to a couple of my friends and no-one had any idea about it," said Dylan.

"It's good for young people to sort it out early rather than in a couple of years finding a problem."

He said he was nervous before the tests but thought the process would have taken longer and been "a bit scarier".

"In all honesty, it wasn't bad," he added.

'Would it have helped if I was more prepared?'

Twenty years ago GAA star Cormac McAnallen died suddenly and his family subsequently lead a campaign to raise awareness of sudden cardiac deaths in young people.

The Cormac Trust was set up to promote screening and raise funds so that defibrillators could be strategically located in public areas in addition to sufficient people being trained in how to use them while performing CPR.

The charity is now winding down, with Mr McAnallen's brother Donal saying it was the "right time".

Speaking to the BBC's GAA Social podcast, he said: "I didn't know how to do CPR. I tried whacking him on the chest but I didn't know how to do it precisely,"

"I rang 999 but we were out in the country and it was going to take a while. A local GP arrived before that but then when the ambulance crew did arrive half an hour or more after it, they tried reviving him with a defibrillator but it didn't work.

"I do look back and wonder, if I had been better prepared would it have made any difference."

Nicky's siblings are determined to prevent further deaths like his.

"Only through a scan like this can you detect something is there and do something about it," Philip told BBC News NI.

The ECG screenings cost £60 each.

Philip and Amy have received support since Nicky's death and are now working alongside CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young), which provides 30,000 screenings a year.

They are trying to raise more money for more mass heart screenings, like the kind at Belfast High School.

"We thought: 'What better way than to reach out to schools to see if they could support screening the risk group of ages 14-35," said Phillip.

"If we can target locations, such as schools, to host these events in the future it would be really helpful," added Amy.

The pupils at Belfast High will receive results in two-to-four weeks to let them know if there are any abnormalities flagged during testing.

If a condition is identified, the pupil will be referred to a cardiologist that has experience in managing these conditions.

What is SADS?

Sudden arrhythmic death syndrome is when someone dies suddenly and unexpectedly from a cardiac arrest, but the cause of the cardiac arrest can't be found.

About 500 people in the UK are affected by SADS every year.

It mainly affects young people aged 14-35.