Fitness and Nutrition Awards 2020

26 GHP / 2020 Fitness and Nutrition Awards , Sep20987 Online Health Platform of the Year - UK & British Isles Heart for Life is a heart screening service in Jersey designed to offer a programme of cardiac tests and risk assessments for athletes and young adults. Following the company’s well-deserved success in the Fitness &NutritionAwards 2020, we got in touchwithDr AndrewMitchell to find outmore. Established in 2010, Heart for Life was set up as a method of screening the Jersey population for inherited and acquired heart disease. To begin, Andrew provides a brief overview of the firm and offers more insight into its typical clientele. “The Heart for Life programme is suitable for individuals wanting to know their risk of developing heart disease, for athletes seeking pre-participation screening or as part of an employee benefit package. Customers can choose the package of heart screening that they need and then book them directly online. The tests are performed using state of the art cardiac equipment and reported by an accredited specialised Consultant Cardiologist. Heart for Life use tests and procedures recommended by the American Heart Association, the European Society of Cardiology, the International Olympic Committee and FIFA. “Screening techniques and consultations can be offered to help identify people who may have coronary heart disease without symptoms, allowing medical treatment to start before clinical problems such as angina and heart attacks arise.” Across the UK & British Isles there are several online health platforms addressing different health concerns. However, as Andrew goes on to explain, Heart for Life is totally different from some of the others seen in the market. “Heart rhythm conditions and high blood pressure affect one in four adults and coronary heart disease is the most common cause of sudden death in this age group. Inherited cardiac diseases are more common than many expect with about one in every 300 children or young adults having a potentially dangerous heart condition. “Structural heart problems such as cardiomyopathies, valvular heart disease and electrical abnormalities such as the long QT syndrome and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome can be detected early using our simple heart screening techniques. A heart electrical tracing (ECG), a cardiac ultrasound scan (echocardiogram), a focused questionnaire and examination will pick up most of the common heart abnormalities that can put people at risk. “In Italy it is mandatory for school children to have a heart check before they take part in athletic competition. Most professional sports people and athletes will have a much more detailed heart and health check before taking part in competition. Therefore, we felt we should offer a service that allows people to easily access heart tests but also to provide straightforward information on our website about common and uncommon heart conditions.” Finally, Andrew discusses what else can be done to prevent deaths during exercises and comments on the company’s plans in place for 2021 and beyond. “Data from the Italian Heart Research Group suggests that screening can significantly reduce the rate of sudden death in athletes. The widespread adoption of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) and greater training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is now really making a difference. Most modern gyms will have an AED available and (hopefully) all personal trainers will have completed a basic life support course and know how to perform CPR. “Heart for Life is looking to expand its programme further in 2021 by offering more heart screening tests to the young and active in the community as well as by continuing to support heart research and charitable organisations in Jersey.” Web Address: www.heartforlife.co.uk