TAMPA, Fla. — Several Florida student-athletes have collapsed on the field in recent years.
That’s one reason state lawmakers just passed SB 1070, also known as the Second Chance Act. It requires student athletes to get an electrocardiogram to participate in school athletics, including games, conditioning, tryouts, and practice.
WATCH Lawmakers, doctors push for EKGs for student athletes
An electrocardiogram, also known as an ECG or EKG, is a test that looks at your heart rhythm, giving doctors information about the structure of your heart, including thickening of the heart muscle.
“So it allows us to detect any congenital heart disease or arrhythmias to some extent,” said Dr. Anjlee Patel, pediatric cardiologist with AdventHealth.
She shared the importance of these screenings.
“They can help us detect things that could be potentially lethal when kids are playing competitive sports,” said Patel.
Many of the young athletes who’ve collapsed while playing experienced sudden cardiac arrest caused by unknown heart conditions.
Sometimes these episodes happen without warning—other times students may notice some symptoms, including:
- Chest pain
- Dizziness
- Heart palpitations with exertion
Patel said that without a screening, these issues are dangerous and seriously life-threatening.
An EKG can help identify what’s going on and lead to treatment.
“And potentially the athletes can even return to play depending on the condition, if they were identified in a timely manner, and it would protect them,” said Patel.
She said it’s an easy test to perform, painless, takes about 5-10 minutes, and gives results immediately.
“It just involves some stickers, and we take a picture of the heart, the electricity of the heart, and we can identify a lot of these conditions just by looking at it,” said Patel.
AdventHealth is offering $15 heart screenings for student athletes.
“I think it’s really important to get at least the baseline screening EKG along with their pre-participation sports physical to help identify some of these treatable, potentially lethal conditions,” said Patel.
The bill is waiting for a signature from Governor Ron DeSantis. Once signed, it will go into effect July 1, 2025.
