Sudden Cardiac Death in Athletes

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) in a young athlete is a significant public health concern, especially for athletic trainers and sports medicine physicians. A number of high-profile athletes in the United States have suffered from SCD, including Hank Gathers and U.S. Olympic gold medalist, Flo Hyman. The...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of athletic therapy & training 2015-05, Vol.20 (3), p.38-45
Main Authors: Terrell, Thomas, Pitt, John, Asif, Irfan
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Sudden cardiac death (SCD) in a young athlete is a significant public health concern, especially for athletic trainers and sports medicine physicians. A number of high-profile athletes in the United States have suffered from SCD, including Hank Gathers and U.S. Olympic gold medalist, Flo Hyman. The prevention of SCD is at the core of screening preparticipation evaluations (PPE) that are carried out all over the world. Recent studies have shown that autopsy-negative sudden unexplained death is the leading cause of SCD in young athletes, which means that electrical and ion channel diseases likely play a more prominent role in these deaths than previously considered. This review presents the most common causes of SCD in athletes and how they may be managed once diagnosed.
ISSN:2157-7277
2157-7285
DOI:10.1123/ijatt.2014-0060