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Using an Electrocardiogram as a Component of Athlete Screening

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Sports Cardiology

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Abstract

Debate and discussion surround the issue as to whether an electrocardiogram (ECG) should universally be included in pre-participation screening examinations of asymptomatic athletes. Leading medical organizations have advanced powerful arguments both for and against the standard inclusion of an ECG in athlete screening based on review of data generated by large-scale epidemiological studies of athlete sudden cardiac death (SCD) events both with and without ECG screening and through analyses of the pros and pitfalls of the ECG to accurately identify underlying cardiac disease. A significant challenge associated with the use of the ECG in athlete screening involves balancing the power of an ECG to increase the yield of detection for cardiac disorders associated with SCD in athletes with potential adverse consequences to both individual athletes and healthcare systems in the events of false-positive ECGs. To help improve the accuracy of ECG interpretation and lower false-positive rates, athlete-specific ECG interpretation criteria have been developed and refined in recent years, culminating in the 2017 International Recommendations. Healthcare providers and institutions that choose to incorporate an ECG into the screening process of asymptomatic athletes should be familiar with the current standards for proper athlete ECG interpretation as well as the inherent potential benefits and risks to the athlete.

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  1. Division of Cardiology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    David J. Engel

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Correspondence to David J. Engel .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cardiology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    David J. Engel

  2. Sports Cardiology Center, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute, Charlotte, NC, USA

    Dermot M. Phelan

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Engel, D.J. (2021). Using an Electrocardiogram as a Component of Athlete Screening. In: Engel, D.J., Phelan, D.M. (eds) Sports Cardiology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69384-8_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69384-8_2

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