JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The death of a Palatka High School student athlete is shining a light on sudden cardiac arrest.
Tuesday morning, Robert Gillon died unexpectedly. Palatka police said it responded to a call for a possible cardiac arrest. Police said Gillon complained of chest pain before attending football practice the day before he died.
The initial results of the autopsy indicate he died of natural causes. Detectives are awaiting final toxicology and blood results.
On Wednesday, First Coast News received a statement from Putnam County School District Superintendent Rick Surrency, who said the school was not aware of any reports before, during, or after practice that the student was experiencing chest pains or other symptoms.
Duval County Public Schools' Supervisor of Sports Medicine, Jerry Stevens, said the district is prepared to react if a student suffers sudden cardiac arrest.
Stevens said every head athletic trainer in the district has an AED, to give an electric shock to the heart. He also said they have ECGs, to diagnose potential heart issues that could lead to sudden cardiac arrest.
“It’s an electrical problem with the heart. The student athlete will just stumble, fall to the ground and be in cardiac arrest," Stevens said. "It is the number one fatality cause in youth athletics in the nation."
Stevens said the challenge is catching underlying conditions that could lead to sudden cardiac arrest. Conditions that can sometimes be overlooked in state required pre participation physicals.
But, the ECG could be the answer.
“We can pick up some of those defects ahead of time and then refer to cardiology for further work up," Stevens said.
In the next month, Stevens said the Duval County School District will be able to give ECG scans to all of its athletes.
The scans have already had an impact locally.
In January, First Coast News teamed up with Who We Play For to host a free heart screening event in Jacksonville.
“In that screening alone, we picked up two or three kids that ended up having corrective procedures done as a result of that," Stevens said.
Who We Play For tracks incidents of sudden cardiac arrest in Florida youth athletes, it said there have been over 20 in the last year.
It's a problem Stevens said the district is prepared to respond to and is working to catch.
“If it’s recognized appropriately, we should be able to manage it and have a positive outcome," Stevens said.
If you are interested in getting an ECG scan, Who We Play For does host low-cost screenings around the country and can work with you to bring one to your school or community.
The full statement from Surrency can be read below:
Dear PCSD families and community,
We continue to mourn the loss of Palatka Jr-Sr High School student, Robert Gillon. While we understand that it is only natural for people to search for answers as to why a tragedy like this would occur, we ask for your patience in awaiting the results of the investigation that the Palatka Police Department and the PCSD have undertaken.
We are aware of rumors and speculation regarding the “cause” of this terrible loss of life. Unfortunately, some of this speculation may bring needless additional suffering to both Robert’s family and the PJSHS family. In an attempt to answer some questions that seem to be recurring, we would state that after conferring with the Palatka Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, and our own staff assigned to the inquiry, we are aware of no information that would support any allegation that any PCSD employee, or anyone who was associated with the school’s athletic program in any capacity on behalf of the District, received any report, before, during, or after football practice on Monday, that the student was experiencing chest pains or any other symptom that might suggest a health concern or condition.
Further, we are aware of no information that would support any allegation that the student was injured in any way during the football practice in which he participated on Monday, August 12th, or that anything unusual occurred at practice which involved the student.
As always, we are committed to learning everything possible about this matter in an effort to help the District continue to assure the safety of our students. The inquiry into this matter will continue until completed. However, this inquiry is not focused on any individual or group of individuals but instead is being conducted so we can be certain that our protocols and procedures are the very best that we can design for the purpose of protecting the children and youth entrusted to our care.
We ask that you keep Robert’s family and friends close to your heart in the coming weeks as they grieve this unimaginable loss.