Sign your Baldwin and Mobile county teens up now for Heart for Athlete’s next heart screening. It will take place at the office of Baldwin Bone and Joint in Daphne on Saturday, June 6th. See the Heart for Athletes website for complete event details. Contact Amy Heart for Athletes for volunteer opportunities.
A heart screening may reveal an undetected heart abnormality that could put a teen at risk for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). There are over fifty organizations across this country (see Screen Across America) conducting events for students, and collectively they report that one out of every 100 students screened discovers a heart condition.
During the Heart for Athletes screening event, each athlete will take part in the following evaluation:
- Medical history – Each participant will fill out and return a medical history form, with the attached parental consent forms signed.
- Blood pressure check – Each participant will have their blood pressure checked.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG) – This test is performed while the athlete is at rest. Electrodes (small patches) are placed on the surface of the skin. The test maps the rate, rhythm and functions of the heart, and prints a tracing for physician review and interpretation.
- Physician review – A board certified pediatric cardiologist will be at the screening event and will review screening findings as described above. The physician may recommend a limited echocardiogram.
- Echocardiogram (echo) – An echo is an ultrasound image created by using a Doppler wand on the surface of the chest. This test will be performed at the direction of the evaluating physician, and will not be performed on each student.
Times may vary, but a typical screening takes approximately 30 minutes.
Please note: Screening events are not intended for children under the care of, or who have previously seen a cardiologist, or for “second opinions” about other heart conditions. Heart screening events are specifically looking for the most common causes of SCA in young athletes.
CPR and AED demonstrations will be available at the screening event.
Thank you to Baldwin Bone and Joint for sponsoring the event location and to CEMS for providing CPR/AED demonstrations.
To register on the website – click here
To reserve a block of time for your athletic team, or to volunteer, contact Amy at 251-510-7263 or amy@heartforathletes.org
