In preparation for the spring sports season, Championship Hearts Foundation will offer free heart screenings for student athletes ages 14-18.
The screenings are on Saturday, April 2, from 8 a.m. to noon at Seton Medical Center Hays, 6001 Kyle Parkway, Kyle. High school athletes and active students who participate in cheerleading, marching band, drill team, extreme sports or other strenuous sports are encouraged to get their hearts screened for possible deadly genetic heart conditions such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).
“HCM 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,” said Dr. George Rodgers, president of Championship Hearts Foundation, and cardiologist with Seton Heart Institute. “HCM is very difficult to pick up during a physical examination, but is very easily detected with an echocardiogram.”
