PHILADELPHIA – Research suggests that after their playing days are done, many National Football League players may face increased risks for cardiovascular disease, particularly football players with large body mass. In order to intercept and block possible heart-health issues, more than 60 retired NFL players, including former Eagles Mike Quick and Harold Carmichael, will take part in a cardiovascular screening on September 25, 2010 at Penn Medicine’s Heart and Vascular Center.
Held in conjunction with the Living Heart Foundation (LHF) and the NFL Player Care Foundation (funded by the NFL, NFL Players Association, Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the NFL Alumni Association), the screenings provide retired NFL players with state-of-the-art, preventative cardiovascular testing to detect early evidence of heart and blood vessel disease. The athletes will undergo a variety of diagnostic exams including: blood pressure screenings, body mass index (BMI) measurements, echocardiography, cardiac CT for calcium scoring, and blood testing. The results of the screenings will be part of a three-year study of 1,200 former football players to examine the rate of heart disease in that population.
WHO: |
Former NFL players, Penn Medicine cardiologists, and other healthcare staff will be available for interviews. |
WHERE: |
Ruth & Raymond Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine
3400 Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104
Atrium Lobby http://www.pennmedicine.org/perelman/visitor_info/directions.html |
WHEN: |
September 25, 2010
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. |
Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.
The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
Penn Medicine is an $11.1 billion enterprise powered by more than 49,000 talented faculty and staff.