Key result
Athlete screening and exercise prescription require specialized sports cardiology expertise to prevent SCD and overdiagnosis.
Why the study?
Specific skills, knowledge, and clinical expertise in sports cardiology are needed to appropriately screen competitive athletes to prevent sudden cardiac death and avoid overdiagnosis, while addressing the need for safe regular exercise.
Highlights the growing importance of sports cardiology, emphasizing the need for specialized skills in preparticipation screening, personalized exercise prescription, and formal education.
Supports clinician expertise in sports cardiology for athlete care; leaves open prospective trials on screening efficacy.
The attention towards sports cardiology has dramatically grown after the introduction of preparticipation screening and the need for specific education on electrocardiogram interpretation in athletes, given the differences between athletes and the general population. The present article stresses the need for specific skills, knowledge, and clinical expertise in sports cardiology, which are essential for appropriately screening competitive athletes to prevent sudden cardiac death and avoid overdiagnosis. However, disqualification from sports competitions may lead to sports inactivity, and athletes may enter a gray zone where little or no information is provided about what they can or cannot do to stay active. However, modern sports cardiology cannot neglect the patient's needs and the importance of the safe practice of regular exercise. In this context, the personalized exercise prescription plays a crucial role in the core curriculum and the clinical activity of professionals involved in sports cardiology programs. Given its specificities, sports cardiology requires a formal education plan for medical school students and all residents. Additional education and practice are required for young colleagues who want to focus their professional lives on sports cardiology. The future directions of emerging modern sports cardiology should not neglect the importance of a scientific community that works together, designing multicenter international outcomes-based research to address the many remaining areas of uncertainty.
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D’Ascenzi et al. (2023) conducted a review in Sports cardiology. Sports cardiology requires specific clinical expertise for athlete screening, personalized exercise prescription, and formal education plans to prevent sudden cardiac death and avoid overdiagnosis.
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