OCC athlete died from heart condition

Deepa Bharath

COSTA MESA -- A 19-year-old member of Orange Coast College’s reputed

crew team who collapsed on the bleachers during an informal practice run

Aug. 16 died because of a sudden heart condition, officials said.

Brian Sweet died of an irregular heartbeat most likely caused by a

viral infection of the heart muscles, according to the Orange County

coroner.

Sweet was running “stadium stairs,” or up and down in the bleachers, a

common exercise performed by athletes. He collapsed on the top of the

bleachers and died in less than an hour.

Such heart failure is typical among young people, especially athletes

such as Sweet, said John Longhurst, chief of cardiology at UC Irvine.

Viral infections such as the flu or even a sore throat can spread to

the heart muscles causing an irregular heart beat or total heart failure,

he said.

“It is almost impossible to diagnose this condition in young people,”

Longhurst said. “You can’t make a kid take tests every time he gets the

flu.”

Sweet’s mother, Melissa, said the autopsy results were “comforting.”

“We weren’t surprised there was no drugs or alcohol in his system,”

she said. “It was good to know we had not missed anything as parents.”

She said her son showed no signs of the flu or even a cold or a sore

throat the day he died.

“It is one of those unexplainable things,” she said.

Sweet’s crew team coach, Dave Grant, said the autopsy results were not

“totally satisfactory.”

“I don’t know,” he said. “It doesn’t change anything.”

However, it does bring some amount of closure, said Jim Carnett,

spokesman for Orange Coast College, where Sweet would have been a

sophomore this year.

“It doesn’t make it easier, but it does give you some answers,” he

said.

The college is in the process of setting up a Brian Sweet Memorial

Fund through the Orange Coast College Foundation, he said.

Longhurst does have some sound advice for young athletes.

“Don’t push yourself too hard,” he said. “Use common sense. Since you

can’t diagnose this condition easily, the best solution is to prevent it

from happening.”

* Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 deepa.bharath@latimes.comf7 .