The Vital Signs Foundation (VSF) are delivering another FREE Heart Screening for young people aged 16-35, this time in partnership with Paymentshield, Southport on Saturday 3rd February 2018.

Book your place today as these events get booked up extremely quickly!

Given the nature of what we are screening for, a parent or guardian MUST attend any appointment that is booked for anyone aged under 18.

Please be mindful of the value of each and every place at these screenings - we are trying to reduce the number of unnecessary deaths due to Sudden Cardiac Arrest and can't do that if people book places and don't turn up.

Here at The Vital Signs Foundation (VSF) we get asked all sorts of questions about what will happen when you attend one of our screenings – to calm any nerves and put your mind at rest here’s a simple explanation to show you how simple it is!

On your arrival at the screening you will be greeted by one of us and asked to fill in a simple form giving basic details about you and your medical history.

You’ll then be greeted by one of our specialist nurses and took into a private room where the ECG will take place. You’ll be asked to undress to the waist and women will put on a hospital gown. An Electrocardiogram (ECG) looks at the electrical conduction pathways around the heart. Small stickers known as electrodes are placed on your chest and the wires connect to an ECG machine whilst you lie still.

A printout of the heart’s electrical activity is then looked at by the cardiologist and discussed with you. This test is painless and takes only a few minutes to perform.

The consultant may want you to have an Echocardiogram (Echo). This is an ultrasound test (such as offered to pregnant women) which looks at the structure of the heart. From the information provided on screen, measurements are taken which give a guide to muscle thickness and size of the chambers of the heart. Again, this test is painless and takes approximately 20 minutes to perform.

So, there you have it - simple but extremely important!

Free Heart Screening at Paymentshield, Southport