Should Electrocardiography Be Used in Cardiovascular Screening of High School Athletes?
Authors: Steven A. Yarows
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2010)

Letters6 July 2010Should Electrocardiography Be Used in Cardiovascular Screening of High School Athletes?Steven A. Yarows, MD and Frank A. Smith, MDSteven A. Yarows, MDFrom IHA, Chelsea, MI 48118, and St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ypsilanti, MI 48197.Search for more papers by this author and Frank A. Smith, MDFrom IHA, Chelsea, MI 48118, and St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ypsilanti, MI 48197.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-153-1-201007060-00027 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:The recent articles by Baggish and colleagues (1) and Wheeler and colleagues (2) indicating the additional value of electrocardiography (ECG) in detecting serious cardiovascular abnormalities and the cost-effectiveness of this addition are important to primary care physicians and parents of young athletes. The addition of ECG to the history and physical examination by nonspecialized clinicians increased the overall sensitivity and negative predictive value to 99.8% and, compared with cardiovascular screening by history and physical alone, saved 2.1 life-years per 1000 athletes at an incremental cost of $88 per athlete. Although the American Heart Association consensus panel (3, ...References1. Baggish AL, Hutter AM, Wang F, Yared K, Weiner RB, Kupperman E, et al. Cardiovascular screening in college athletes with and without electrocardiography: a cross-sectional study. Ann Intern Med. 2010;152:269-75. [PMID: 20194232] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Wheeler MT, Heidenreich PA, Froelicher VF, Hlatky MA, Ashley EA. Cost-effectiveness of preparticipation screening for prevention of sudden cardiac death in young athletes. Ann Intern Med. 2010;152:276-86. [PMID: 20194233] LinkGoogle Scholar3. Maron BJ, Thompson PD, Ackerman MJ, Balady G, Berger S, Cohen D, et al; American Heart Association Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism. Recommendations and considerations related to preparticipation screening for cardiovascular abnormalities in competitive athletes: 2007 update: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism: endorsed by the American College of Cardiology Foundation. Circulation. 2007;115:1643-455. [PMID: 17353433] MedlineGoogle Scholar4. Maron BJ. National electrocardiography screening for competitive athletes: Feasible in the United States? [Editorial]. Ann Intern Med. 2010;152:324-6. [PMID: 20194239] LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From IHA, Chelsea, MI 48118, and St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ypsilanti, MI 48197.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoCardiovascular Screening in College Athletes With and Without Electrocardiography Aaron L. Baggish , Adolph M. Hutter Jr. , Francis Wang , Kibar Yared , Rory B. Weiner , Eli Kupperman , Michael H. Picard , and Malissa J. Wood Cost-Effectiveness of Preparticipation Screening for Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death in Young Athletes Matthew T. Wheeler , Paul A. Heidenreich , Victor F. Froelicher , Mark A. Hlatky , and Euan A. Ashley National Electrocardiography Screening for Competitive Athletes: Feasible in the United States? Barry J. Maron Should Electrocardiography Be Used in Cardiovascular Screening of High School Athletes? Aaron L. Baggish Metrics 6 July 2010Volume 153, Issue 1Page: 64KeywordsAdolescentsConflicts of interestEchocardiographyElectrocardiographyHeartQuestionnairesSportsSudden cardiac death ePublished: 6 July 2010 Issue Published: 6 July 2010 CopyrightCopyright © 2010 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...