Incidents of Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) grab headlines across the U.S. and the globe, especially when SCD strikes young athletes during sports competitions or training. The Kinder Foundation approached the Texas Heart Institute regarding prevention of such tragedies, and subsequently donated $5 million to the Texas Heart Institute’s Center for Coronary Artery Anomalies (CCAA). This gift enables Texas Heart Institute to conduct screenings of 10,000 Houston area middle school students for certain, difficult-to-detect, congenital heart abnormalities that are thought to predispose young people to Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD).

The screenings are taking place at selected schools over the next two years as part of a scientific study to help learn more about the heart abnormalities which affect primarily young people, and learn more about their prevalence in the broad population.

Philips Healthcare has supplied the necessary MRI equipment, which has been fitted to a specially constructed mobile imaging unit that is taken to schools for screenings. This research effort will help doctors and researchers learn more about finding and preventing Sudden Cardiac Death in kids and teens.