BLOOMINGTON — Around 250 students from Bloomington Central Catholic High School received free Electrocardiograms this month, as part of a new Advocate BroMenn Medical Center program called Advocate for Young Hearts.

On Nov. 16, 251 of the high school’s 366 students underwent a free, voluntary cardiac screening in the Bloomington Central Catholic High School gymnasium. 

“Some didn’t participate because they already knew they had heart issues and some didn’t get their paperwork in or just chose not to,” said Bloomington Central Catholic High School Principal Joy Allen. 

Advocate BroMenn Medical Center Cardiologist James McCriskin performed the EKGs, along with the help of Christie Rocke, a registered nurse at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center, and Karen King, a critical care nurse at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center.

“Dr. McCriskin read every single EKG,” said Allen. “If there was a question he put them on another test and then if there was still a question after that, he had them call their primary doctor and their parents (to arrange a follow-up appointment). I think 4 percent he took with him to have follow-up calls.”

According to King, nine students had EKG results that needed follow-up, but none required immediate attention.

The screenings are composed of small stickers, similar to bandages, being applied to students’ chest. The screenings are safe and pain-free.

“It takes a few seconds’ glimpse of the heart, that five-second glimpse of the electrical conduction through the heart, so a student just lies quietly for a few seconds while we capture that,” said Rocke. “It’s not going to capture all the irregularities that might exist within the heart, but we can capture a large majority of those abnormalities that exist.”

The screenings detect which students are susceptible to cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest can happen to any student, regardless of their physical fitness.

“Most kids that have died from this (cardiac arrest) are young people that didn’t know they had a heart condition,” said Allen. “They’re usually athletic. It’s usually the kids that are in shape and are exercising, but they have this problem that can be prevented. If they do medical procedures and take medicines they can lead a normal life.”

BCC was the first area high school to host the screenings, as part of the Advocate for Young Hearts program. McCriskin hopes to do screenings at all Twin City high schools.

“BroMenn actually contacted us,” said Allen. “Dr. McCriskin is a heart surgeon in Bloomington-Normal for BroMenn and his two children graduated from Bloomington Central Catholic High School, so we personally know each other because years ago I was the principal when his kids graduated and we kept in contact.

“He really hoped to do this for all the schools in Bloomington-Normal, all the high school students get tested. But he wanted to do it for the first time with a smaller population to work out the kinks and see how it would go and kind of have a clue of what’s ahead of him at a bigger school.”

State Representative Dan Brady was among the 80 parent volunteers who helped administer the screenings at the high school. An alumnus of Bloomington Central Catholic High School, Brady is a board member for Advocate BroMenn Medical Center. His daughter Danielle was one of the students at Bloomington Central Catholic High School that received an EKG.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Brady. “Anything we can do to catch any type of heart disease, malfunctions or irregularities is certainly great. “

The idea for the local screenings came from work already being done in the Chicago area, said King.

“In fact, at every school they have on their list, they do this on a two-year basis,” said King. “We want to set it up so that every local school is screened every two years.”

Screenings will be scheduled at other Bloomington-Normal high schools in 2013.

Advocate Charitable Foundation paid for the screenings that involved an initial investment of $45,000-$50,000 for portable EKGs, leads and other equipment.