Austin, Texas - (October 9, 2008) - October has been declared by Congress as "National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month" in an effort to raise awareness about the nation's leading cause of death.
As a community service, Championship Hearts Foundation, an Austin-area nonprofit agency, will offer free heart screenings for student athletes ages 15-18 on Saturday, Oct. 11 at Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas.
More than 6,000 students have been screened at Championship Hearts events during the last eight years, with approximately 1 percent of those having been referred for further cardiac testing. The Championship Hearts screening uses an echocardiogram, or ultrasound of the heart, to detect Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), the leading cause of sudden death in young athletes. This two- to five-minute test is noninvasive and painless.
"HCM is a genetic condition that leads to abnormal thickening of the heart walls," said Dr. Silvana M. Lawrence, Children's Cardiology Associates. "Many times, it does not give any symptoms and may not produce any findings on a physical exam or an electrocardiogram. Often, the first presentation is sudden death. However, HCM usually can be detected by imaging the left ventricle of the heart. Anyone with suspicious results will be referred to a pediatric cardiologist for further evaluation."
Other symptoms of HCM include:
• Chest pain/pressure during or after activity
• Shortness of breath and fatigue with exertion
• Fainting or passing out during exercise
• Heart arrhythmia
Sudden death risk factors include:
• Family history of sudden cardiac death
• Young patient with several fainting episodes
• Abnormal blood pressure with exercise
• History of arrhythmia with fast heart rate
• Poor heart function
Active Central Texas high school students ages 15-18 who participate in athletics, band, cheerleading or any other strenuous activities are encourage to be screened for HCM. Students must have a signed parental waiver to receive the screening. The waiver is available on the Championship Hearts Foundation Web site at www.championshipheartsfoundation.org or at Dell Children's Web site at www.dellchildrens.net.
"Our objective is to screen high school students when they are going through puberty, since HCM often manifests during a growth spurt," added Dr. Lawrence. "The benefit to the patient of identifying the condition early is that specific evaluation and treatment can begin."
Parents and students attending Saturday's heart screening event can also learn about the use of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) from members of the Foundation-sponsored Medical Explorer Post. These defibrillators are being used by some Central Texas school athletic departments.
Seton is proud to have four hospitals – the only hospitals in Central Texas - that have earned the