High school heart screening

We hear the tragic stories every year, but each one still seems shocking: a child collapses on the sports field, seemingly out of nowhere. Sudden cardiac death peaks between the ages of 13 and 17, according to an article published by the American Heart Association in 2025. Once thought of as a rare event, the statistics for children tell a different story. According to the American Heart Association, more than 23,000 children experience cardiac arrest each year.

Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when an abnormal heart rhythm causes the heart to stop beating entirely. The majority of resulting deaths occur in kids and teens without any prior indication of heart disease.

However, a simple heart screening can often detect subtle signs of a heart rhythm disorder in most kids. Pediatric electrocardiograms (abbreviated as ECG or EKG) can also reveal abnormal heart rhythms

How pediatric ECGs reveal abnormal heart rhythms

Pediatric heart specialists with Wolfson Children's C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry Heart Institute recommend electrocardiograms (ECGs) as one tool to detect potentially life-threatening conditions. An ECG is a test that uses small electrode patches on the chest, arms and legs to record the heart's electrical activity and check the heartbeat's pattern.

“An ECG is a quick, easy and painless test that can make a huge difference in a child’s life,” said Rajesh Shenoy, MD, chief of Pediatric Cardiology at Nemours Children's Health, Jacksonville, and medical director of Pediatric Cardiology for Wolfson Children’s Terry Heart Institute. “The results of these tests allow us to diagnose many heart rhythm disorders and start treatment, reducing the risk of a child experiencing a cardiac episode.”

Not just for student-athletes

Beginning July 1, 2026, a new Florida law will require ECGs for all incoming 9th-grade student-athletes. Any student in grades 10-12 who has never participated in a Florida High School Athletic Association-sanctioned sport will also need to undergo the screening.

“These screenings allow families to be proactive instead of reactive by detecting potentially life-threatening heart arrhythmias and conditions before they occur,” said Robert R. Sefcik, MS, LAT, ATC, executive director of the Jacksonville Sports Medicine Program (JSMP), a nonprofit dedicated to youth sports safety through awareness, advocacy and injury prevention. “Although our focus is student-athletes, all high schoolers can benefit from a heart screening; sudden cardiac arrest doesn’t just happen on the field.”

Reference: American Heart Association