Rye families can get their children screened for hidden heart conditions at no cost on Nov. 11 at Rye Recreation.
The City of Rye announced the free pediatric electrocardiogram (ECG) screening event, which will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The screenings are provided by In A Heartbeat, a Connecticut-based nonprofit focused on preventing sudden cardiac arrest in young people.
Registration is required. Parents and guardians can sign up through In A Heartbeat's screening registration portal.
An ECG records the heart's electrical activity through electrodes placed on the skin.
According to In A Heartbeat's registration page, the quick, painless test can detect roughly 60% of the heart abnormalities linked to sudden cardiac death that a stethoscope cannot pick up.
The organization states that fewer than 2% of screenings produce a false positive, though those cases may require follow-up evaluation by a physician.
The program is open to children, teens and young adults. Minors need parental authorization to be screened. Young adults 18 and older can register and consent for themselves.
In A Heartbeat recommends repeat ECG testing every two years.
According to the nonprofit, 1 in 300 children has an undetected heart disease. A stethoscope misses the condition 96% of the time. The organization says 23,000 children die from sudden cardiac arrest each year.
In A Heartbeat says it encourages parents and guardians to discuss the screening with their children before the event. The organization pledges that confidentiality, privacy and individual modesty will be respected throughout the process. Female participants will be tested only by female technicians in a separate area from male participants.
The Nov. 11 screening is one of the nonprofit's community events across the Northeast aimed at early detection of heart conditions that can strike without warning. More than 60 young adults die from sudden cardiac death each week in the United States, according to In A Heartbeat.
