Next Screening Event:

**BY APPOINTMENT ONLY** Saturday July 18th, 2020 from 8am to 2pm at The Las Vegas Sports Park (1400 N. Rampart Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89128) - Free Youth Sports Physical (with possible Heart Screening/EKG) - CLICK HERE TO SCHEDULE YOUR CHILD NOW! HEART SCREENINGS FOR AGES 10 to 18

CCSD Student MUST get an Athletic Packet from Their School! WE CAN NOT PROVIDE CCSD SPORTS PHYSICAL PACKETS!

The LV Sportz Foundation is committed to ensuring the safety of Southern Nevada children on local sports fields and courts. As part of that commitment, we are dedicated to collaborating with our local medical professionals to provide accessible and affordable PPE's that are in-depth and include a number of added features that are needed to help prevent tragedy from striking our community.

Several times throughout the year we work those in the local medical field to provide unparrelled access to basic and advanced screenings. It is recommend by the NATA, the American Academy of Pediatricians and the American Heart Association that every child has an annual Pre-Participation Physical Exam (PPE or Sports Physical) prior to participating in strenuous exercise or competitive sports, regardless if it is mandatory or not, to prevent sudden cardiac death and other major health issues in local youth athletes.

A PPE can help identify congenital heart defects that can lead to SCA as well as any other musculoskeletal, spinal, dermatological or other health problems or risk factors a child may have. A PPE is different from a standard physical. The PPE specifically focuses on a child’s well-being as it relates to playing a sport. It's more limited than a regular physical, but it's a lot more specific about athletic issues.

It's estimated that more than 100 young athletes die each year in sports-related incidents, and the National Athletic Trainers' Association projects that nearly half of those deaths are attributed to sudden cardiac death. Some causes include hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) which involves the thickening of the heart muscle, forcing the heart to work harder to pump blood. Along with other cardiac problems, HCM is the overwhelming cause of sudden death in young athletes. For more information on SCA and risk factors leading SCA, such as HCM, visit our SCA Information Area.

A pre-participation exam is used to:

• Find any medical or physical problems that could make participation a risk;
• Find any medical or physical problems that could be corrected to make participation more beneficial;
• Help maintain the health and safety of your child;
• Make sure your child is fit enough to participate in the activity;
• Teach your child about the activity.

LVSF Sports Physical/Heart Screenings MAY Consist of:

• Vision, height and weight
• blood pressure
• risk assessment questionnaire
• 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG)(Heart Screenings)
• limited echocardiogram (heart ultrasound)(Heart Screenings)
• hands only CPR and AED training
• all results are reviewed by experienced cardiologists and results reported immediately or within 7 business days if a cardiologist is not present

(all tests are easy, painless, non-invasive, and performed in approximately 30 min. ***There will be no needles, blood work, radiation exposure, or sedation.)

The cardiac evaluation exams target youth who participate in physical activities. They focus on the detection of heart conditions that could predispose a young person to sudden cardiac death (SCD).  These problems include but are not limited to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), abnormal heart rhythms, coronary anomalies, enlargement of the aorta, and certain heart valve abnormalities

It is important to understand that these tests screen for some, but NOT all causes of SCD in athletes.  A normal SAFE TO PLAY screening does NOT mean that a child has a zero risk of sudden cardiac death.

ALL participants must have a completed risk assessment form and signed waiver prior to participating in the event.  

Heart Screening Information

Things can be missed during a normal routine sports physical, especially if there is no prior family history or if the family history is not known for any number of reasons. We work with local medical professionals such as cardiac specialists and medical technicians to provide free or low-cost EKG's and/or Limited 2-D Echocardiograms to ensure we cover as many possibilities as possible.

12-Lead EKG: An ECG (also known as EKG) can detect abmormal eletrical activity in the heart which can cause the heart to lose its rythm and go into venticular fibulation or "flutter", in essence not beat properly enough to be effective in delivering blood and oxygen to the rest of the body. It is useful in detecting general heart abnormalities to subsequently recommend further testing. 

Limited 2-D Echo: A Transthoracic Echocardiogram provides a 2-D image to a doctor from standard ultrasound that is directly and reliably able to detect HCM in athletes. A limited 2-D Echocardiogram (referred to as an Echo) is basically an ultrasound of the heart and can detect structual defects of the heart and it's valves.

A 2-D Limited Echo looks for those defects that are known to cause issues in athletes and is much more cost effective when compared to a full or non-limited echo and is considered to be optimally used when implemented with use of an EKG and is the only test of choice to confirm a diagnosis. Studies indicate that doctors are able to detect HCM from an ECHO anywhere from 80% to 100% of the time.

Although extra costs are usually associated with the equipment and professional assistance to receive these types of services, it is an effective method of screening when used in conjunction with together with the history and the rest of a typical routine physcial screening. LVSF is able to provide these at a lower cost or even free at times during our PPE events that are usually only held a few times a year where we work local medical professionals who volunteer their time and services.

Upcoming Events

Please See Each Individual Event Press Release Below for That Event's Specific Details: