BACKGROUND/AIM The international governing body for competitive rowing recently mandated the inclusion of 12-lead ECG during preparticipation screening. We therefore sought to describe normative ECG characteristics and to examine the prevalence of abnormal ECG findings as defined by contemporary athlete ECG interpretation criteria among competitive rowers. METHODS Competitive rowers (n=330, 5...

Sudden cardiac death in young athletes is an uncommon but devastating event. The preparticipation evaluation affords an important opportunity to screen for cardiovascular disease and other health conditions but has certain limitations in its existing form. This article provides an overview of current screening practices and outlines the argument for and against the addition of a 12-lead electro...

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the leading cause of death during exercise in young athletes. Preparticipation physical examinations were developed to maintain the health and safety of athletes, including the prompt identification of those at risk for SCD. The use of medical history and physical examinations, electrocardiography, and echocardiography, or some combination thereof, is the source of...

Dear Editor, t is a great pleasure to receive two valuable comments about our article regarding sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young athletes from two well known experts working in the field of preparticipation evaluation and prevention of sports injuries. We, as authors, generally agree with both authors' comments. However, some considerations should be re-emphasized here. Dr. Patel has mention...

A sudden cardiac event or death in a young athlete is a traumatic and memorable event. These tragic events have long-lasting and widespread influences that not only affect the person's immediate family, but also have profound effects on the team, school, and entire community. Over the past several decades there has been a significant research effort in the area of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in ...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the accuracy of pediatric cardiologists' interpretations of electrocardiograms (ECGs). STUDY DESIGN A series of 18 ECGs that represented conditions causing pediatric sudden cardiac death or normal hearts were interpreted by 53 members of the Western Society of Pediatric Cardiology. Gold-standard diagnoses and recommendations were determined by 2 electrophysiologists (100...

OBJECTIVES To determine the health status of athletes before the start of an international athletics championship and to determine whether preparticipation risk factors predicted in-championship injuries. METHODS At the beginning of the 2013 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships, all registered athletes (n=1784) were invited to complete a preparticipati...