This week the American Heart Association (AHA) has released a statement concerning what should be done to screen children for cardiac conditions before and during treatment with stimulant medications for ADHD.  The AHA recommends using heart rate and blood pressure checks and screening for conditions with related cardiac symptoms when prescribing stimulant medications.  This is part of what we do every 6 months at the ADHD checkups. 

What is new is that the AHA now recommends we check an electrocardiogram (commonly known as an ECG or EKG) before using these medications. 

The current guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) do NOT include the use of an EKG before starting stimulant medications, but instead focuses on being vigilant about monitoring patients for known side effects of the particular medications they are taking.  This is also part of what we do at the semi-annual ADHD checkups.  The AAP guidelines are being revised and we are sure the new AHA recommendations will be taken into account in some way but we have no way of actually knowing what the guidelines will be until they finish doing their research and publish them.  Click on AHA statement to read what the AHA published on their website.

For our parents who have a child or children with ADHD who are either on stimulant medication or about to start stimulant medication, if you have any concern about your child needing an EKG, we are happy to offer to do an EKG here in the office either by appointment or at the regularly scheduled ADHD checkup, but you must notify us that you want the EKG before the appointment so we can make sure the necessary time and equipment are available.  We still don't know how much, if any, of this will be covered by your insurance but we are looking into it.