Augustheart

In May 2011, after an undetected heart condition took the life of their 18-year-old son August, Doré and Bart Koontz founded AugustHeart. AugustHeart is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to preventing sudden cardiac arrest by providing free cardiac screenings to teenagers in the San Antonio area.

AugustHeart screenings include a modified electrocardiogram (ECG), and if necessary, a limited echocardiogram (ECHO). These tests allow cardiologists to evaluate the structure and electrical activity of the heart to identify students who might be at risk.

In 2014, AugustHeart screened more than 4,000 teens from 150 different schools and coordinated over 500 volunteers, 45 cardiologist, and 75 technicians/sonographers at 13 different screening events. The goal for AugustHeart for the next 5 years is to continue our impact all over San Antonio by increasing the number of teens screened and raising awareness of the importance of teen heart screenings.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) in youth is not a rare occurrence. SCA is the leading cause of death on school campuses, happening without warning proving fatal in 92% of cases if not properly treated in minutes. Approximately 1/70 high schools will have a SCA event on campus this year. 1/250 teens in the general population is at high risk of an undetected heart condition that may cause SCA. Student athletes are at an even greater risk for SCA because it is 60% more likely to occur during exercise or physical activity.

Most heart conditions that lead to SCA can be detected with testing. Medical history and physical exam are not enough. Active teens appear healthy so reported symptoms are often overlooked by doctors. With no symptoms, doctors deem testing unnecessary, making these tests expensive and not covered by medical insurance. As a result, serious heart conditions go undetected and young people die unnecessarily.

We know that a thoughtful use of a few simple tests can identify many of the students at risk of SCA and get them the treatment they need. The consequences of not performing these screens is to leave at-risk youth to their own fate, an action that is not acceptable to AugustHeart when a viable alternative exists.

The sudden cardiac death of a teen is a devastating event with compelling justification to implement preventive strategies to identify teens at-risk. AugustHeart free heart screenings are accessible to all teens regardless of demographic or financial circumstance, preventative in nature, and educate the community on the importance of early detection of heart conditions. There is great potential to save lives by testing the heart health of teens, possibly improving the health of entire families.