NFL players to undergo cardiovascular and sleep apnea screening

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — As anticipation builds for the "big game," the medical community is taking some time out of the busy week to raise awareness of two serious health problems often experienced by football players with a large body mass. Mayo Clinic, the Living Heart Foundation (LHF) and the National Football League Players' Association are hosting the fourth annual Super Bowl Health Screening Program to screen current and retired NFL players for cardiovascular disease and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Among the expected participants are a number of retired NFL players, including numerous members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

What: Cardiovascular and obstructive sleep apnea screenings for current and retired NFL players

Who: Mayo Clinic, Living Heart Foundation, and the NFL Players' Association Retired NFL players available for media interviews during the screening event include: Harry Carson Merlin Olsen 1976-1988 – New York Giants 1962-1976 – LA Rams Pro Football Hall of Fame Pro Football Hall of Fame

Marv Fleming Roy Jefferson 1963-1969 – Green Bay Packers 1965-1969 – Pittsburgh Steelers 1970-1974 – Miami Dolphins 1970 – Baltimore Colts

Troy Vincent 1992-1995 – Miami Dolphins 1996-2003 – Philadelphia eagles 2004-2005 – Buffalo Bills 2006 – Washington Redskins

Where: Concourse Level Mayo Clinic 13400 East Shea Blvd. Scottsdale, AZ 85259

When: 7 a.m. – 5 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 31 7 a.m. – 2 p.m., Friday, Feb. 1

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Mayo Clinic is a private group practice of medicine dedicated to providing diagnosis and treatment of patient illnesses through a systematic focus on individual patient needs. As a leading academic medical center in the Southwest, Mayo Clinic Scottsdale focuses on providing specialty and surgical care in more than 66 disciplines at its outpatient facility in north Scottsdale and at Mayo Clinic Hospital. The 205-bed hospital is located at 56th Street and Mayo Boulevard (north of Bell Road) in northeast Phoenix, and provides inpatient care to support the medical and surgical specialties of the Clinic, which is located at 134th Street and Shea Boulevard in Scottsdale.

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About Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated, not-for-profit group practice in the world. Doctors from every medical specialty work together to care for patients, joined by common systems and a philosophy of "the needs of the patient come first." More than 3,300 physicians, scientists and researchers and 46,000 allied health staff work at Mayo Clinic, which has sites in Rochester, Minn., Jacksonville, Fla., and Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz. Collectively, the three locations treat more than half a million people each year. To obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to www.mayoclinic.org/news. For information about research and education visit www.mayo.edu. MayoClinic.com is available as a resource for your health stories.