good week

August is a good time to screen students. Most schools in Texas start two-a-days and the new format this year lends itself well to screening students. We are about a third of the way into the month and have screened over 600 students for the month. We have screened at over twelve high schools this month and have been able to turn around most screenings in 48 hours. Many schools are using the "rest day" of two-a-days to have students come back up for screening in the afternoon since they can not practice the second afternoon. This is a good format. Most students are ready to get started and this gets volleyball and football players screened during one of their rest periods. It also gives the coaches a chance to talk to the kids and make sure that they hydrate the second day while standing in line waiting to get screened.

We are seeing tracking of about 4.5% of students needing a follow up and one in two thousand coming back as high risk. This basically means that 95% of students are cleared to participate. Having read all of the literature on screening and watching mass physicals this summer I can attest that the Washington University study stating that 87% of doctors do not ask students the required cardiac health and physical questions and many do not know how to hear a heart murmur. Having a cardiac screening to back up these programs gives parents and coaches a higher confidence level that the students are healthy enough for the rigors of two-a-days in the summer heat. True there might be some angst when they get a follow up request. Yes there is stress when a diagnosis comes back as high risk. What is the alternative? Do you really want someone on the field when they are high risk? If you know they are high risk would you let them participate? For the 4.5% that come back as a follow up request, about 20% come back as elevated risk but not high risk. About 5% come back as high risk of the follow up students. About 80% come back as something unusual but not high risk.

If you are not screening students this August or did not before the end of the school year ask yourself why not. If you are using an Orthopedist to do cardiac screening as part of your physicals you should use screening. If you are using an Nurse Practitioner or Chiropractor to perform physicals you should use screening. There is not cost to the school or athletic department to offer this service prior to participation. Cypress ECG offers the service to parents and comes to your facilities to screen. We typically see about 20% the first year if the screening program is supported and advertised by the coaching staff and administration. We have seen as high as 95% participation when it becomes an annual part of you physical process.