Legislators in Ohio have introduced a bill that would require all high school students to undergo a cardiac screening before participating in sports.
According to Fox 8 News, the bipartisan bill still has a long way to go to being enacted into law, but if passed it could do a lot of good.
“There’s no question, and I think that everything we do — I’ve devoted most of my career, like my colleagues have, to preventing sudden cardiac death — and this is an important step towards it. Unless we’re able to identify patients that are at risk, it becomes very difficult to prevent disease. A lot of the diseases that we identify are treatable,” said Dr. Peter Aziz, a Cleveland Clinic pediatric electrophysiologist.
“I unfortunately see many of these families after they’ve experienced a loss, and the question always is ‘Was there something that we missed? Could something have been done prior to this event that would’ve suggested my child was at risk?’”
Aziz said the screenings could detect risks or symptoms that would trigger further testing with a specialist.
Of course, Aziz also stressed that there is always the possibility that some symptoms won't be detected, making AEDs and CPR training essential.
In the last general assembly, lawmakers passed a bill making AEDs required in schools.
