TRUSSVILLE, Ala. (Trussville Tribune) -- Hewitt-Trussville High School will be hosting a heart screening event later this month for any interested high school students in an effort to identify potential heart conditions that could put students at risk for a sudden cardiac event.
According to Chris Basinger with the Trussville Tribune, the HTHS Focus Club, a student-led peer education program, is partnering with two organizations to provide the free screening–Heart for Athletes and The Kristoffer Larsen Big Heart Foundation.
About 1 in every 300 students tested are found to have a heart abnormality, so Trussville City Schools lead nurse Dana DePew believes there is a good chance of something being found at the HTHS screening.
“That’s pretty good odds that we would find something that needs further investigation,” DePew said. “EKGs are just not part of a routine physical exam so these things aren’t always picked up.”
The event will feature six EKG machines that will map the rate and rhythm of each student’s heart. A physician will then review the data and determine if further evaluation is needed to identify a heart defect.
“It’s a screening, it’s not a diagnosis. It would pick up any heart rhythm abnormalities that would need further investigation, and so if any are found then the parents would be notified and offered some resources about next steps and how to follow up with that for further evaluation,” DePew said.
While students wait to take their EKGs, the school will also be engaging them with hands-on CPR and AED demonstrations.
“It’s a kind of education and screening at the same time,” DePew said. “This is a great opportunity for them to get it done for free and very conveniently at school.”
The screening will be held on March 18 from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the small gym.
A few days before the event, students will be given a schedule that says what time their screening will be.
Sign ups are open now using the QR code included below. Parent permission is required, and space is limited.
