Preparticipation Athletic Screening Including an Electrocardiogram: An Unproven Strategy for Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death in the Athlete
Section snippets
Case report
A 17-year-old asymptomatic male hockey player had athletic preparticipation screening with an unremarkable history and examination. His electrocardiogram (ECG), included as part of routine screening, demonstrated an incomplete right bundle-brunch block (RBBB) with secondary repolarization changes. He was referred by the team doctor, a family medicine physician, to a local cardiologist who performed another history, examination, and ECG. An echocardiogram performed showed borderline right
Conclusion
One major objective of preparticipation athletic screening is detection of potentially lethal cardiovascular diseases likely to manifest with SCD during athletics. However, identification of a potentially lethal disease is important only if an effective preventive strategy reduces the risk of SCD.19 Subsequent intervention in a fashion that unequivocally improves outcomes is another important objective.19 The optimal strategy for advancing toward the widely accepted goal of prevention of sudden
Statement of Conflict of Interest
All authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
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Statement of Conflict of Interest: see page 454.