Naperville North students will have the option to be ECG tested during physical education and health periods on Nov. 16 in the fieldhouse through the Young Hearts for Life (YH4L) program.

The YH4L organization is one of the largest screening programs in the United States, and has performed over 170,000 free ECGs to high school and college students. ECG stands for electrocardiogram, and the purpose of this screening is to catch heart conditions in students that often go undetected.

According to John Fiore, NNHS Instructional Coordinator for the Wellness Department, about 7 percent of students have an abnormality detected during test. A smaller percentage from this group may need further testing.

“The reason it goes undetected is because your basic physicals you take every year don’t necessarily catch some of the things that would lead to sudden cardiac death,” Fiore said.

According to Fiore, last year, NNHS caught a peculiar case of a student athlete who had a hole in his heart, which could have been very detrimental to the student’s health if it went undetected.

“Some of the numbers and data show that seven kids a week die from sudden cardiac death in the U.S… this is something that can be avoided through testing we shouldn’t be losing so many kids,” Fiore said.

Fortunately for North students, Young Hearts for Life has partnered with Edward Hospital to cover all the costs and offer this screening free for all students. Although it is not mandatory, students have the option to get tested by registering on the Young Hearts for Life website. Parents must register their NNHS student by Nov. 15 to have the testing done on the following day.