EKG - not required - get one anyway

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mama mia

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I thought I would post this in the Parents section too. This was my response in the USNA thread re: the midshipmen who passed away after his PFT: This has really hit close to home. My DS is in his first year at USAFA. After everything he went through to get there, I thought things would be smooth sailing. He went to BCT last June and everything was fine until they went out to Jack's Valley, and he was in the tent folding his clothes. He started feeling dizzy and that his heart was beating really fast. He told his cadre, and they took him to the medical tent where they did everything they could to bring his heart rate down - it would not go down. They had to call an ambulance, and they ended up having to give him medicine to totally stop his heart, and then shock him back to life. Turns out, he has Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome (WPW) which is an extra electrical connection in the heart which can cause the heart to completely go haywire and eventually kill you. My son is a runner, and has run at altitude his entire life. WE NEVER KNEW he had this which could have been detected with an EKG. Thank God it happened when medical help was there, and they immediately took action. He had surgery a couple of days later where they went in a cut that extra connection out. The surgeon says he is 99.7% cured and this can never happen to him again. He is doing great and running again just fine. I don't bring it up much because I literally have horrible memories of the fear that I could have lost my son this way. I feel responsible that I should have known he had this hidden disease. This is literally the healthiest kid I have ever known. Anyway, I now tell everyone to have an EKG and their kids to have one too. Obviously they do not detect everything, but if it's WPW, it will detect it. My prayers go out to this beautiful family - I cannot fathom the pain they are in right now.
 
mama mia said:
I thought I would post this in the Parents section too. This was my response in the USNA thread re: the midshipmen who passed away after his PFT: This has really hit close to home. My DS is in his first year at USAFA. After everything he went through to get there, I thought things would be smooth sailing. He went to BCT last June and everything was fine until they went out to Jack's Valley, and he was in the tent folding his clothes. He started feeling dizzy and that his heart was beating really fast. He told his cadre, and they took him to the medical tent where they did everything they could to bring his heart rate down - it would not go down. They had to call an ambulance, and they ended up having to give him medicine to totally stop his heart, and then shock him back to life. Turns out, he has Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome (WPW) which is an extra electrical connection in the heart which can cause the heart to completely go haywire and eventually kill you. My son is a runner, and has run at altitude his entire life. WE NEVER KNEW he had this which could have been detected with an EKG. Thank God it happened when medical help was there, and they immediately took action. He had surgery a couple of days later where they went in a cut that extra connection out. The surgeon says he is 99.7% cured and this can never happen to him again. He is doing great and running again just fine. I don't bring it up much because I literally have horrible memories of the fear that I could have lost my son this way. I feel responsible that I should have known he had this hidden disease. This is literally the healthiest kid I have ever known. Anyway, I now tell everyone to have an EKG and their kids to have one too. Obviously they do not detect everything, but if it's WPW, it will detect it. My prayers go out to this beautiful family - I cannot fathom the pain they are in right now.
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Excellent advice! Thanks for sharing!
 
I now know 3 young people killed by, or suspected to have been killed by heart problems detectable by EKG. Please get tested.
 
Folks - Not for debate, just for information. There are many conditions that are NOT detectable by an EKG. I am NOT a Doc, but I was there at The Armed Forces Epidemiology Board in the late 1990s ( now the Defense Health Board ) when the Recommendation to DoD was to cease routine EKGs. This board was chartered by the Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs and consists of eminent civilian specialists and scientists to address issues directed by the Assistant Secretary. With great regret, sudden cardiac deaths do occur. There is no screening or testing that can ferret these out. Again, not for debate, just for your information.
 
txfwindian said:
Apple watch 4, 5 do provide the capability of EKG on the go.
Anybody experienced with iwatch

Take an ECG with the ECG app on Apple Watch

You can take an electrocardiogram (ECG) with the ECG app.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
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Yup, my wife, is an MD with A fib.........she swears by her Apple Watch with an EKG app.

I'm not sure that the average 21yr old is really in touch with their heart rate enough to make good use of an EKG monitor. I agree with Mullen, there is alot that an EKG doesn't see.

Given the physical stress associated with attending an SA I do wonder if a cardio stress ultrasound wouldn't make sense for all applicants before admission.
 
Curious to hear why it wouldn't be recommended? We also high school athletes that die during their games from undetected heart issues. I’ve never looked Into doing one myself.

Is it opening a “can of worms”? How would DODMERB review having one done for info purposes only? I somehow suspect that a regular doctor would have to have some kind of reason/code to order one? Then it would be reported and then the can of worms.... I don’t know, I’m thinking out loud. Curious other opinions.
 
JS6343 = if there are positive responses to questions 31-36, heart issue history, specifically 35 (previous abnormal EKG), YES.

Justdoit19 -The AFEMB determined that for the age of this target population, the investment in time, $$$, equipment, and personnel, wasn’t worth the yield...,Before someone goes off the deep end...the EKG wouldn’t reveal the issues of concern.
 
I do get that and tend to agree. But I’m curious about a person who chooses to do one for informational purposes. Maybe even self pay. Is it even an option? I have no idea. My wonderings are how it would affect their DODMERB.
 
The heart surgeon said that for an electrical heart problem like my son had, Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome (WPW), an EKG would have detected it. I am not speaking for any other heart condition. That's all I was trying to say. He could have died out there in the field, and had we known about it, we could have prevented the incident from happening in the first place.
 
An applicant that has WPW is treated much differently as I alluded to in my posting at 0624 this morning. We will require much more than an EKG.

I’ll say again, routine EKG screwing of all applicants is currently not DoD policy.

I also opened/ended my posting at 1024 yesterday with “Not for debate, just for information.”

Hope this helps...😁
 
My children had EKG's in 7th Grade. Anyone whose child is being considered for a stimulant (ADD/ADHD therapy) should have a baseline EKG prior to the start of that therapy as per the American Assoc. of Pediatrics, the AAP. Cardiac examination should be in your discussion with your child's pediatrician.
And while I'm on the soapbox, we switched to an Adolescent Pediatrician when the kids were around 14, or so. He was focused on adolescent concerns/challenges with private conversations with the kids & parents out of the room for drug use, gambling, sex, etc. Female nurse was present in the room with my DD during exams/discussions, etc. Surely regular pediatricians are up to this task but in our case,ours were really dealing with new babies to 2 y/o's.
 
100% Correct,

but has no direct relationship with medical elements of application to US Service Academies/ROTC programs....
 
@Wishful I like the adolescent pedi doc. Teenagers have grown up bodies, almost, but still have the brain of a child.
 
@Devil Doc So true, They can act so mature then occasionally will do or say something that reminds you of their true age.
 
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