The Youth Heart Watch Program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is offering a heart-screening program for children and adolescents ages 5-22 years. This program will screen for the presence of heart abnormalities at no cost to participants.
Why participate?
Healthy children may be at risk for developing an abnormal heart rhythm that could lead to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), an event that causes the heart to suddenly stop beating. It is estimated that nearly 23,000 children each year in the United States have an arrest caused by abnormal or irregular heartbeats, a weak or thickened heart muscle, heart defects, or other rare conditions. Your participation in our heart health screening study will help us find the best way to identify children who are at risk for a SCA. Visit our health and career fair while you wait for your screening results. Families can learn more about different types of health careers and learn CPR AED (automated external defibrillator) use. We will provide information on nutrition and healthy eating, physical activity, mental and behavioral health, access to healthcare, smoking/vaping cessation, violence prevention/gun safety and provide gun locks.
What to expect
To participate in the heart health screening study, you will be asked to sign a consent form and complete a questionnaire.
At the study visit on June 1, 2024, we will:
- Obtain your child’s height, weight and blood pressure
- Perform an electrocardiogram (ECG)
- If the ECG shows your child needs additional testing, we will: • Listen to your child’s heart with a stethoscope
- Perform a screening echocardiogram (ECHO), or an ultrasound of the heart
This study visit will take approximately one hour. To register your child for the study, scan this code with your smartphone or visit https://redcap.chop.edu/surveys/?s=9KW44JHRDEREMLAJ.
Walk-ins are also welcome.
See complete details in the attached flyer.