Why Screen?
The objective of heart screening is to detect deadly cardiac conditions that a routine physical exam would typically miss. Most young people who die suddenly did not realize they had a serious heart condition. Their families do not find out until it is too late. Heart screening can detect many potentially deadly conditions, at which point we recommend follow-up with your doctor and/or a cardiologist.
The SafeBeat Initiative does not replace your primary care physician, but works as a member of your healthcare team. We perform electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) testing as a component of our heart screening, which is generally not covered by insurance as part of a routine physical unless you experience symptoms. Unfortunately, primary care physicians cannot typically detect these conditions without performing an ECG or other tests.
Commonly Found Syndromes
Six heart conditions account for more than 60% of the causes of sudden cardiac arrest in youth and are detectable by ECG screening.
The Leading Causes of Cardiac Arrhythmia Syndromes are:
- Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)
- Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia
- Myocarditis
- Dilated Cardiomyopathy
- Q-T Segment Prolongation
- Primary Conduction Abnormalities
