American Medical Society for Sports Medicine
For Immediate Release Apr 07, 2008

OVERLAND PARK, KANSAS:  The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) recently awarded Ashwin Rao, MD, the annual Harry Galanty Award for excellence in sports medicine research. Dr. Rao’s study, “Details and Outcomes of Resuscitation Following Sudden Cardiac Arrest in high School Athletes”, examined the outcomes of sudden cardiac arrest in a high school population. Twenty cases of sudden cardiac arrest were studied and of the athletes that were successfully resuscitated at the scene of the arrest, 55% survived to hospital discharge. This is the first study demonstrating a survival benefit from early defibrillation in young athletes. The recommendation from this study is that access to early defibrillation through on-site AED programs should be encouraged in high schools.

Harry Galanty, MD, was a respected sports medicine physician, teacher and clinical researcher. He was highly regarded by his colleagues. He died from cancer at a young age.
Dr. Rao is completing a fellowship in primary care sports medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington.

The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) was organized in 1991 by physicians who recognized the need for an organization within the field of sports medicine that approached athletes, exercising individuals and teams comprehensively with consultative and continuous care of their orthopedic, medical, nutritional and psychosocial issues. Although sports medicine concepts are often thought of in conjunction with professional and elite athletes, these concepts apply to athletes of all levels including grade school, high school, college and recreational athletes. AMSSM is comprised of over 1000 Sports Medicine Physicians whose goal is to provide a link between the rapidly expanding core of knowledge related to sports medicine and its application to patients in a clinical setting.

NOTE: For more information, please contact the AMSSM, 11639 Earnshaw, Overland Park, KS 66210, (913) 327-1415.