Key result
A comprehensive clinical evaluation and a 12-lead ECG are the most cost-effective preparticipation screening tools for athletes, with cardiac magnetic resonance serving as a second-line investigation.
Why the study?
Sudden cardiac death in athletes is an important issue due to the growing number of high-performance athletes, yet establishing an ideal preparticipation screening program remains challenging because of diverse etiologies and rare occurrence.
What is the optimal preparticipation screening strategy to prevent sudden cardiac death in athletes?
What is the optimal preparticipation screening strategy to prevent sudden cardiac death in athletes?
Clinical evaluation and 12-lead ECG remain the cornerstone of preparticipation screening in athletes, supplemented by CMR for detailed secondary evaluation.
Supports ECG-inclusive screening as first-line in athletes; leaves open prospective validation of CMR thresholds.
Sudden cardiac death in athletes is a relatively rare event, but due to the increasing number of individuals practicing high-performance sports, in absolute terms, it has become an important issue to be addressed. Since etiologies are many and the occurrence is rare, tracing the ideal preparticipation screening program is challenging. So far, as screening tools, a comprehensive clinical evaluation and a simple 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) seem to be the most cost-effective strategy. Recent technological advances came to significantly help as second-line investigation tools, especially the cardiac magnetic resonance, which allows for a more detailed ventricular evaluation, cardiac tissue characterization, and eliminates the poor acoustic window problem. This article aims to review all aspects related to sudden cardiac death in athletes, beginning with definitions and epidemiology, passing through etiology and clinical characteristics, then finishing with a discussion about the best ambulatory investigational approach.
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Kochi et al. (2021) conducted a review in Sudden cardiac death in athletes. Preparticipation screening was evaluated. A comprehensive clinical evaluation and a 12-lead ECG are the most cost-effective preparticipation screening tools for athletes, with cardiac magnetic resonance serving as a second-line investigation.
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