Without Wimbledon Athletics' testing, we wouldn't have known about Jordan's condition until it was too late. There is a lot of concern over concussions in football and laws have been put in place for that, but what about the heart? That is just important.
Boca Raton, FL (PRWEB) April 25, 2016
Wimbledon Athletics, the industry leader in on-site diagnostic testing for athletic programs, helps save another young life by identifying a life-threatening heart abnormality in student athlete Jordan Powell through comprehensive cardiovascular testing administered at Grambling State University.
For two years, Jordan Powell has been playing football for Grambling. He has exhibited no symptoms and has passed all of his physicals; yet, cardiovascular testing performed by Wimbledon Athletics is what identified Jordan’s abnormally weak heart—a condition called cardiomyopathy.
“Without this testing, we wouldn’t have known about Jordan’s condition until it was too late,” states Mrs. Powell Dorsey, Jordan’s mom. “There is a lot of concern over concussions in football and laws have been put in place for that, but what about the heart? That is just important,” she continues.
According to Bradley J. Artel, MD, FACC, FASE, Chief Medical Officer at Wimbledon Health Partners, there is a good chance Jordan’s cardiomyopathy would have progressed to heart failure over a period of several months or he could have had sudden cardiac death from a malignant arrhythmia, even before any symptoms developed. Jordan’s EKG was normal, but an echocardiogram was able to detect his condition. Upon learning her son’s diagnosis from Wimbledon Health Partners, Mrs. Powell Dorsey took Jordan to a local cardiologist, who prescribed two medications, Lisinopril and Coreg, which may help Jordan’s heart get stronger. Until that time, he is sidelined from football but is expected to be back on the field with his team by the start of the season.
It is not certain how Jordan’s cardiomyopathy developed, but the most important thing is that it was detected before anything happened to Jordan, according to Dr. Artel.
“This is another case where the pre-participation physical evaluation failed to identify a serious cardiac issue in a young athlete. And it was not an EKG that was able to pick this up, but our echocardiography testing,” he states. “Now, even if Jordan’s heart gets weaker, it will be identified, and he will go on to receive whatever he needs to prevent sudden cardiac death.”
Mrs. Powell Dorsey strongly believes cardiac testing should be mandatory for all high school and college athletes.
“It is extremely important that these athletes have their hearts thoroughly checked,” she says. “Mothers, coaches, athletic trainers need to understand that we can lose our children! Having the option to address an issue detected through a heart exam is a blessing, and I’m extremely grateful to Wimbledon Athletics and Grambling for making sure my son got tested.”
About Wimbledon Health Partners:
Wimbledon Health Partners formed in 2013 to meet the need for on-site diagnostic testing at physicians’ offices. The industry leader, Wimbledon Health Partners provides physicians with state-of-the-art, in-office testing to detect circulatory conditions and cardiac abnormalities using vascular ultrasound and echocardiography.
About Wimbledon Athletics:
Wimbledon Athletics, the newest division of Wimbledon Health Partners, is pioneering the way for high schools, colleges, universities, and sports facilities to test students for vascular conditions and for unsuspected cardiac abnormalities to help minimize sudden cardiac death among young athletes.
For more information on how your school can partner with Wimbledon Health Partners, visit http://www.WimbledonAthletics.com or call us at (855) 200-8262.