Free heart screening event set for teens and young adults

Free heart screening event set for teens and young adults
While few parents think of heart issues as something that could affect children, an estimated 1 in 300 school-aged children suffer from an undiagnosed heart defect, many of which could lead to cardiac arrest and death. The risk of complications can be higher for students who are active in sports, gymnastics, dance or other strenuous activities, and the first warning sign is often death.

To help find these hidden abnormalities, the Via Heart Project will conduct a free heart screening open to children 12 and older as well as adults up to age 25. It will take place from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Nov. 6 at Denair Middle School.

The event is sponsored by EMC Health Foundation, the Denair Unified School District and Gable Heart Beats.

The screening is conducted by volunteer Bay Area health professionals, including cardiologists, sonographers and nurses. It includes a health history review, EKG test and a focused echocardiogram. The entire process takes about 60-90 minutes and is non-invasive — there are no needles or X-ray exposure. Each teen’s confidentiality, privacy and individual modesty is respected throughout. Participants also will have the option to learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) skills during the screening.

This screening is important because some 7,000 to 10,000 school-aged children nationwide die each year from sudden cardiac arrest, often from conditions that could have been detected in advance. Yet neither EKG nor cardiac ultrasound is included in the typical annual physical. Via Heart Project’s screening is supplementary to -- but does not replace -- a child’s annual exam or school sports physical.

“Any parent who has lost a child to a preventable health issue knows the pain of wondering what could have been done before it was too late. If we can prevent even one family from going through that pain, then what we have done is worth it,” said Liz Lazar-Johnson, Executive Director of Via Heart Project.

To participate, go to http://viaheartproject.org/screenings to register and download the health history and parental consent forms, both of which should be filled out and brought to the screening. Registration is open until noon on Nov. 4, and is limited to 500 people.