Free Heart Screenings for Student-Athletes

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth is offering free heart screenings for student-athletes ages 14-18 on Saturday.

Active students who participate in athletics, cheerleading, marching band, drill team, or other strenuous sports are encouraged to get their heart screened for possible deadly genetic heart conditions such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). 

The screenings are done in coordination with the Championship Hearts Foundation, a nonprofit agency, and will take place between 8 a.m. and noon at 1301 Pennsylvania Avenue in Fort Worth.

“Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a genetic heart condition that usually doesn’t impair physical activity, but it is a set up for a potentially fatal rhythm problem that could happen right on the playing field,” says Dr. George Rodgers, President of Championship Hearts Foundation.  “HCM is very difficult to pick up during a physical examination, but may be detected with an echocardiogram.”

Results of the screening are immediate. More than 12,000 students have been screened through Championship Hearts Screening events during the last decade, with approximately five percent of those having been referred for further cardiac testing.

Students must have a signed parental waiver to receive the heart screening.  The waiver is available at the event, or here.

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