San Antonio teens screened since 2011
Potential Lives Saved
Why screen?
Monitoring the heart health of teenagers in our community provides us with a great opportunity to save lives. Testing students as they enter high school is important.

The heart is physically immature under the age of 14.

High school athletes are pushed to a much higher level of exertion, putting more stress on the heart.

Underlying heart abnormalities go undetected without the presence of symptoms.

A physical exam is not enough – active teenagers appear healthy so reported symptoms may be overlooked by physicians.
How we screen.
During each screening, we perform an electrocardiogram (ECG) on every student and, if necessary, an echocardiogram (ECHO).

Electrocardiogram (ECG)
An electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) records the electrical signal from your heart to check for different heart conditions. Electrodes are placed on your chest to record your heart’s electrical signals, which cause your heart to beat. The signals are shown as waves on an attached computer monitor or printer.

Echocardiogram (ECHO)
An echocardiogram (echo) is a graphic outline of the heart’s movement. During an echo test, ultrasound (high-frequency sound waves) from a hand-held wand placed on your chest provides pictures of the heart’s valves and chambers and helps the sonographer evaluate the pumping action of the heart.