MERIDIAN, Idaho — At Monday's health fair, the fire department offered potentially life saving electrocardiogram screenings for student athletes. The ECG tests will be reviewed by cardiologist.
- Register for the ECG screening in Nampa Aug 27, they will also take walk-ins.
(Broadcast Transcript)
"At my own sons school, a student athlete passed out on the field and had a Sudden Cardiac Arrest event and ended up dying," said Carly Shears, with the Meridian Fire Department.
She is taking her personal and professional paramedic experience to local schools... to potentially save student athletes lives.
This is through electrocardiogram screenings, a non-invasive test that measures the electrical activity of the heart, including its rate and rhythm.
"And then I found this organization called, Who We Play For, and they partner with schools, or different community organizations, fire departments, to provide all of the equipment. They have a pediatric cardiologist that reads all of the screenings and gets back to the parents," said Shears.
During one of the screenings Shears observed, "And that one looks beautiful, so we got two saved for them." Those screenings will be sent to doctors to review.
Monday's West Ada Health Fair was the first time students were offered ECG screenings. During years of experience in her previous department, Shears tells me she's seen a handful of student athletes discover pre existing heart conditions through these screenings.
Including a parent's reaction to their child's ECG screening results, "'So, we were really surprised when our son came back as flagged. We followed up with a cardiologist and sure enough he had this condition, that was treatable through a minor procedure, and now he can continue to play sports.' And they know that he is safe out there on the field and so they just feel a lot better about him being out there playing."
