In the spring of his senior year of high school, Matthew (Matt) was attending a school presentation when he began to feel his heart speed up and his palms grow sweaty. A person seated nearby noticed that Matt’s face had gone pale and asked if he was okay. Matt excused himself to the restroom, where he splashed water on his face and tried to calm down. But when he returned to the presentation, his symptoms did not resolve. “Eventually, my buddy told me I needed to go to the nurse,” says Matt. The school nurse took Matt’s heart rate, discovering it was over 200. When it didn’t slow down, she recommended Matt go to the hospital. “She said CHOP was the best place to go,” he says.

Matt’s family took him to the Middleman Family Pavilion, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s inpatient location on CHOP’s King of Prussia Campus. Matt was seen in the Emergency Department, but his high heart rate persisted. He was admitted and remained at the Middleman Family Pavilion overnight before being transported to the Philadelphia Campus the following morning, where he would have access to the highly specialized cardiac services best suited to his needs.

Says Matt’s mom, Kristin, “Everyone at the Middleman Family Pavilion was lovely — from the Emergency Department team to the transport team to the janitorial staff. They made a confusing, scary situation a positive experience.”

Multidisciplinary cardiac care

On CHOP’s Philadelphia Campus, Matt was admitted to the Cardiac Center, where he was cared for by a team of multidisciplinary experts, including attending cardiologist and electrophysiologist Chandra Srinivasan, MD, and Jonathan Edelson, MD, Medical Director of the Sports Cardiology Program at CHOP. 

The team conducted an extensive evaluation to rule out common conditions that could cause Matt’s symptoms, including myocarditis or an inherited heart muscle disease. “I think I had every test possible,” remembers Matt.

The family spent nearly a week in the hospital, celebrating Easter and even Kristin’s birthday at CHOP. “Everything felt so uncertain,” she says. “But we knew we were in the right hands.”

Matt was ultimately diagnosed with tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy, a rare condition in which a persistently abnormal heart rhythm weakens the heart muscle. He was discharged with medication and cleared to return to basketball with a Holter monitor, a wearable device that records the heart’s electrical activity. 

“I never worried that I wouldn’t get back to basketball,” Matt says. “The doctors were very positive. They all told me my future was bright.”

Although the medication helped successfully lower Matt’s heart rate, it also left Matt feeling sluggish and tired. He had brain fog and couldn’t play the way he used to. The team felt that a heart ablation, which could correct Matt’s heart rhythm without medication, would likely be a better approach.

A safe return to sports

At CHOP, children and teens with abnormal heart rhythms are cared for in the Electrophysiology and Heart Rhythm Program. One of the country’s largest and most advanced programs of its kind, this team specializes in treating complex heart rhythm problems like Matt’s. They use the most advanced technology to determine the cause of arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) and recommend the best way to regulate them.

Matt’s doctors performed specialized mapping of his heart to prepare for a catheter ablation procedure, which could eliminate the source of the arrhythmia. Just before graduation, Matt underwent an ablation, which took eight hours. “They called me every hour to let me know what was going on,” says Kristin. “It helped me stay calm.”

Once his heart had recovered from the procedure, Matt worked with the team in the Sports Cardiology Program which provides personalized care and recommendations to promote safe and effective exercise in athletes with cardiac disease, to develop a safe return-to-play plan. Matt was able to attend Louisiana State University, where the summer season was just beginning.

The university’s cardiologist and Matt’s team at CHOP remained in close contact, with Matt’s heart rate monitored throughout practice. “It was projected on a big, court-side screen,” Matt remembers. Ultimately, Matt would need two more cardiac ablations before his arrythmia was completely resolved.

A bright future

Matt followed a modified training schedule over the course of his freshman year of college. Although he lifted weights and practiced with the team, he did not get any play time.

“I came to terms with it,” says Matt. “I took the year to really just focus on working out and let my heart recover.”

At the end of the school year, Matt transferred to Kansas State, where — symptom free — he was able to start the summer season on the court. Even though he now has a normal heart rhythm, Matt’s new coach remains in close contact with CHOP, and Matt will continue to have annual cardiology checkups. 

In the meantime, Matt is well on the path to the future he’s always wanted. When asked if his goal is to play professionally, Matt’s response was simple and definitive: “Yes.” 

And thanks to the expert cardiac care at CHOP, Matt’s heart certainly won’t hold him back.