Assessment of the 12-Lead Electrocardiogram as a Screening Test for Detection of Cardiovascular Disease in Healthy General Populations of Young People (12–25 Years of Age)

Barry J. MaronDirector, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center, Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation

“Although sudden death among young people is rare, it is always a tragedy, and the infrequency of these events in no way mitigates their importance or impact on families and the community. However, the media coverage of sudden cardiac arrests in athletes may have created the exaggerated impression that these tragic events are far more common than they actually are, or that they are limited to athletes.”

Barry J. MaronDirector, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center, Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation

“[We] acknowledge the tragic nature of sudden deaths in the young, but do not believe the available data support a significant public health benefit from using the 12-lead ECG as a universal screening tool.”

“At this point of time in 2016, the knowledge base and the infrastructure are inadequate to do that, and so we don't know if there would be an upside or a downside.”