Sudden cardiac events kill three young athletes each week — a local business hopes to change that

By Krista Tatschl

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    OVERLAND PARK, Kansas (KMBC) — Thousands of metro kids are jumping, running and kicking their way back into the full swing of fall sports.

The stats on the scoreboard this school year will not show one sobering statistic: Sudden cardiac arrest takes the lives of three athletes every single week, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

One local business, My Heart Check, is providing heart check events to try and combat the numbers of cardiac deaths in youth sports populations.

Their mission is simple.

Save lives through heart testing.

David Kuluva, co-founder of My Heart Check, said, “Many of the athletes don’t even know they have an issue until we found the issue. Parents are shocked because they look so healthy.”

My Heart Check offers heart testing that goes beyond what is typically offered in a well-visit at a pediatrician’s office or at a school-sponsored sports physical. My Heart Check uses an EKG (electrocardiogram) reading to test the rhythm of the heart, as well as an ultrasound to see if the structure of the heart is sound.

Local pediatrician Dr. Sarah Jenkins gives this kind of extensive testing a big thumbs up and encourages every parent to consider getting their child’s heart tested.

Jenkins said, “I think it’s better to be safe than sorry, right?”

The cost of the testing is $149, but financial aid is available through the group’s website, My Heart Check.org. As a comparison, this type of testing would cost around $2,000 in a hospital setting.

Kuluva says at almost every testing event, a child is discovered to have an undiscovered, hidden heart condition.

Kuluva said, “I would consider this critical care. There’s is no doubt it’s a mission”.

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