Swimmer's death linked to heart

By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer

An undetected heart problem led to the drowning of an 18-year-old University of Hawai'i swimmer Tuesday afternoon at Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex pool, the chief medical examiner said yesterday.

UH swim coach Mike Anderson, left, and athletic director Herman Frazier answer questions surrounding the death of Mike Sheldt. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

An autopsy yesterday revealed that Sheldt drowned and that the contributing cause was hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or an enlarged heart, Honolulu chief medical examiner Dr. Kanthi Von Guenthner said.

"While he was in the water, he may have had an irregular heart rhythm," Von Guenthner said. "An enlarged heart can lead to sudden death, but it's not something that's very common."

Dr. Andrew Nichols, the UH athletic department's physician, yesterday said Sheldt had passed a battery of physical exams, had not reported any adverse medical history to the school and appeared to be in top shape.

Sheldt passed his physical examination and pre-participation physical in August and did not exhibit any signs of a heart problem, Nichols said.

"Had there been findings in a physical examination that are suggestive of a congenital heart condition that is known to cause sudden cardiac death, we wouldn't clear him to play," Nichols said.

In the physical exams, student athletes are asked about potential symptoms of heart conditions that are known to cause sudden death in young people, Nichols said. The medical screening also focuses on identifying physical traits that could lead to problems in the future, Nichols said.

Sheldt's death was the first of a UH athlete during a practice or competition in at least 30 years, UH officials said.

At a press conference yesterday, Nichols and swim coach Mike Anderson said Sheldt appeared to be in good health.

"He was in top physical condition," Anderson said. "He competed in the 400 individual medley, which is one of the most brutal events in swimming."

Anderson said Sheldt has been training hard for about 10 years.

"He passed our physical examination to participate, and he's obviously passed previous physical examinations to participate in sports at the high school level," Nichols said. "Certainly we had no indication that he had any type of serious ongoing problem."

UH athletic director Herman Frazier said he was told that Sheldt was underwater for "15 seconds or so" before being spotted by a teammate and pulled from the water.

"We reacted and responded as quickly as possible," Frazier said.

Anderson said about 27 people were in the pool Tuesday, watched by four assistant coaches and a pool manager.

"We try to lower our coach-to-athlete ratio to as low as we can possibly get it. The coverage was superb," said Anderson, who was on the Mainland at the time of the tragedy.

Patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are at higher risk for sudden death than the normal population, and can be affected at a young age, according to the National Institutes of Health Web site.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a well-publicized cause of sudden death in athletes, the site said.