Morris Hospital Rhythm of Our Youth Cardiac Screening set for Seneca High School on Thursday

Morris Hospital is bringing its Rhythm of Our Youth cardiac screening to students at Seneca High School this Thursday.

The purpose of the screening is to identify high school students who have an undiagnosed cardiac abnormality that could result in sudden cardiac death.

Parents must complete an electronic consent form prior to the screening day in order for their student to participate. The form can be found at morrishospital.org/rooy.

On the screening day, a team of specially trained volunteers from Morris Hospital will be on site at the scheduled high school to perform electrocardiogram screenings free of charge to students who have received parental permission to participate, according to a news release.

An electrocardiogram is a non-invasive, painless test that measures the electrical activity of the heart and detects certain heart abnormalities that can lead to sudden cardiac death, according to the release.

Screenings are typically held during PE class or study hall, depending on student schedules. The test takes about three minutes to complete.

Based on results of the screenings, about three percent of students are referred to their physician for additional follow-up. Typically, less than one percent are found to have a medical problem that requires cardiac intervention.

Results are sent home to the student’s parents and are not shared with the school.

Morris Hospital launched Rhythm of Our Youth in 2016 as a result of funding provided by generous donors to the Morris Hospital Foundation. Since then, more than 12,000 area high school students have been screened through the program.

Sudden cardiac death claims more than 2,000 lives of children and adolescents in the U.S. each year. Most victims of sudden cardiac death have had underlying heart conditions that could have been detected through a simple ECG.