Feb. 13-Hurley Medical Center offered the 2nd FREE Teen Heart Check for area high school students, ages 13 through 19. The first event in November, 2011 was held at the Hurley School of Nursing. The recent February 11 event took place at Swartz Creek High School. 

186 students from throughout Mid-Michigan were screened.

This special one-of-a-kind program offered an in-depth heart screening that included a medical history, blood pressure check and an EKG. Echocardiograms were provided, if needed. The screening looked for evidence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and other cardiac anomalies. Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is a serious condition that can cause sudden cardiac death in young athletes as well as in students engaging in physical activity or exercise. 

Hurley physicians identified 157 students advised to continue playing sports. There were six “Stop Exercise” students, meaning that it would be dangerous for these children to continue exercise without  further evaluation by a pediatric cardiologist. Eighteen students were advised to continue exercise with follow-up with their doctors, meaning that they had abnormalities on their exams or histories warranting further evaluation by their primary physicians, but nothing serious enough to stop them from exercising. 

“The screening took about 30 minutes,” said Dr. Jim Weber, ER Physician on staff at Hurley. “Those 30 minutes may save a student’s life or provide peace of mind for parents concerned about their child’s risk of sudden cardiac death and premature hypertension."

Sudden cardiac death is the leading cause of death in young athletes.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the single most common cause of death among U.S. athletes. Nearly 4,000 of these deaths are among young people. And 1 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. 

This screening program was first developed at Beaumont Hospital in Detroit in 2007 with the intention of identifying high school age students who might be at risk for sudden cardiac arrest and other cardiovascular complications. To date, over 7,000 teens have been screened.