A heart-screening program being piloted in several Houston middle schools this fall will target prevention and treatment of heart disorders in teens – particularly sudden cardiac arrest.
Memorial Hermann, The University of Texas Medical School at Houston and the Houston Rockets are collaborating in HEARTS (Houston Early Age Risk Testing and Screening), a study and program to detect abnormal heart conditions.
Sixth-graders are the focus
In this first phase, the HEARTS medical team will screen 1,500 students at five Houston Independent School District (HISD) middle schools:
- Burbank
- Hogg
- Key
- Long
- Fleming
The free program includes a:
- Self-administered questionnaire
- Cardiovascular physical exam
- Electrocardiogram (EKG)
- Echocardiogram (cardiac ultrasound)
Plans may grow to include more schools
If the project is successful, it may be expanded to all sixth-grade children in HISD.
“With this screening in place, the incidence of sudden cardiac death among Houston school children may be reduced,” says Dr. John Higgins, assistant professor of medicine at UT Medical School at Houston and director of exercise physiology at the Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute. Higgins is also the principal investigator of the study and pilot program.
“At the end of the pilot program, we will report our findings and work with Memorial Hermann and the Houston Rockets to grow the program and offer screenings to all children in the greater Houston area,” he says.
