Child Heart Failure is scary

We can eliminate preventable sudden cardiac arrest in the young through heart screenings and training in CPR/AED.

3500

Screenings completed

8000

People trained in CPR/AED

80

Abnormalties detected in DE

pexels-ric-rodrigues-6606071.jpg
Untitled-15.jpg

Make Delaware the "Heart Healthiest" State

One in 300 youth has an undetected heart condition that puts them at risk for SCA. By providing screenings, we aim to improve survival from sudden cardiac arrest by educating the community on the importance and simplicity of bystander CPR.

SUPPORTED BY:

image-removebg-preview (3) 1.png
image-removebg-preview (1).png

Identifying at-risk students who participate in youth sports

Heart In The Game was founded as a result of Grace Firestone’s incident, where she survived from Sudden Cardiac Arrest. We give young athletes a better chance of surviving.

Life Saving Starts Here

SCA is the leading cause of death in sports and all school campuses.
7,000-10,000 students die annually from Sudden Cardiac Arrest.
Bystander CPR saves thousands of lives annually.
It increases the likelihood of survival by 80%. You, too, can be a hero.
ECG's identifies 92% of abnormalities.
A simple, 5 min, NON-invasive ECG measures the electrical rhythm of the heart.

You can make an impact

The most cost-effective way in DE to save a life. It costs $2 to get a Delaware student athlete screened.

Impacting Your Children

We have screened more than 3,500 children. Here are a few stories.

COVID Recommendations for Youth

Recommendations range from taking a comprehensive cardiac risk assessment, which can include an electrocardiogram, to consulting with a cardiology specialist to evaluate potential heart disorders that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). While future events will be ECG screening and training in CPR/AED, check out a few of our Health Fairs since 2014.

People are asking

These are the questions that we hear most often

+
Why should my child get a heart screening?
A simple heart screening can help detect problems before they become major medical issues. We strongly recommend all student athletes get an ECG. Athletes are 2-3 X's prone to SCA than regular students
+
How is the heart screening done?
Cardiac screening can detect a variety of potentially catastrophic genetic diseases. The simplest level of testing is an ECG, which looks at the electrical signals of the heart. An ECG involves placing electrodes on the chest around the heart to record those signals. The test is easy, painless, non- invasive, and takes less than 5 minutes. It does not involve needles, blood work, radiation exposure or sedation.
+
Who reads the ECG?
Every ECG is read by board-certified Cardiologists who are among the most experienced and qualified doctors in the country. Their experience means more accurate interpretations.
+
How often do you find a problem?
On average 97% of all those screened have a normal ECG and are considered at low risk for cardiac issues. In less than 3%, results are inconclusive or suggest something that requires further testing. Most often an Echocardiogram (Echo) is recommended. The Echo is used to get a picture of the heart similar to an ultrasound to look at a baby during pregnancy. The Echo looks for valve and vein structure, muscle thickness, and proper operation of the heart. Most rarely, but most importantly, our statistics show that 1 in 1000 of those we screen will be flagged as high risk with a severe abnormality on their ECG.
+
What if my child needs a follow up?
Results are evaluated by our nationwide pediatric cardiologists.
If your child has an abnormal finding, here is the procedure:

  • - We suggest a second screening (just to make sure).
  • - We connect with you and your pediatrician to inform both parties
  • - If the results are the same, we send both parties a pdf of the screening
  • - HITG then follows up with both parties
  • - If the child is at risk, we reach out to the AD of his/her school
  • - After all the abnormal results are sent to the family, HITG does a free and clear email to everyone else

Are you ready to get your child screened?

Find locations in Delaware where you can get your child screened for SCA.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter