DETROIT (WXYZ) — The typical school sports physical may fall short in assessing heart health. Because sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in young athletes, Beaumont Health cardiologists is offering free Student Heart Check screenings to area high school students.
The screening event will be held on Saturday, June 1, at the Heilmann Recreation Center, 19601 Crusade, in Detroit, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The heart screening takes about an hour and will include a medical history, blood pressure check, an electrocardiogram or ECG, and a "quick-look" echocardiogram, an ultrasound image of the heart. Although there is no charge to participate, registration is required. You can reserve a spot at https://www.beaumont.org/services/heart-vascular/student-heart-check
Beaumont created the Student Heart Check screening program in May 2007. Since then, Beaumont has screened 17,552 participants. Of those students, 209 were told to stop sports and follow up with a cardiologist due to heart abnormalities and nine were diagnosed with Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. It's the single most common cause of death among U.S. athletes. Nearly 4,000 of these deaths are among young people, and one in 200,000 high school athletes will die suddenly, most without any prior symptoms. In addition, male athletes are 10 times more likely to die suddenly as a result of HCM.
As students go through the screening, Beaumont will offer CPR/automated external defibrillator education and training for students and their parents. Experts say knowing how to operate an AED or perform CPR are essential skills that everyone should learn. Beaumont also offers resources for adults interested in assessing their risk of heart disease. This includes a free online heart risk assessment that can be completed in just minutes.
It's available at https://www.beaumont.org/services/heart-vascular/know-your-risk-for-heart-disease
