SEE OUR EKG SCREENING STATISTICS!
Statistics from Our Screenings:
Year Number of students Abnormal
2013 230 8
2014 1500 121
2015 662 23
2016 769 47
2017 685 25 TBD at years end
Total 3846 224
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) in Youth
While the prevailing perception is that heart disease is primarily an adult disease, it is surprising to note that cardiovascular disease is the leading medical cause of death in athletic children and adolescents in the United States. Sudden Cardiac Arrest is also indiscriminate as to age, race or gender.
Because of the lack of mandatory and systematic registry for SCA, the true prevalence of this disease in youth is unknown. The Ryan Lopynski Big Heart Foundation as well as other foundations strongly advocate for the establishment of such a registry to provide more accurate data. This registry will motivate new research and strategies that will lead to SCA and Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) prevention.
Frequently, the warning signs and symptoms of a heart condition in youth go undetected or are misdiagnosed. The Ryan Lopynski Big Heart Foundation supports heart screenings at an early age because most heart conditions are undetected with a simple stethoscope at an annual physical exam. Medical professionals must be more acutely aware of the warning signs & symptoms of a heart condition and when symptomatic, immediately refer youth to a cardiologist for further evaluation. As children grow their hearts change so repeated evaluations are crucial.
If a child is diagnosed with a heart condition, there are many precautionary steps that can be taken to prevent the likely outcome of SCA including lifestyle modifications, medication and surgical treatments, including implanting a pacemaker and/or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).