Electrocardiography and Preparticipation Screening of Competitive High School Athletes
Authors: Barry J. Maron
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2010)

Letters20 July 2010Electrocardiography and Preparticipation Screening of Competitive High School AthletesBarry J. Maron, MDBarry J. Maron, MDFrom Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, Minneapolis, MN 55407.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-153-2-201007200-00016 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:I read with interest Dr. Marek's reaction to my editorial. Unfortunately, my comments seem to have been largely misunderstood. First, the disparity cited between U.S. and Italian physicians performing screening examinations relates specifically to the unique cadre of sports medicine physicians solely dedicated to this program in Italy—a crucial resource that simply does not exist in the United States, making national mandatory ECG screening exceedingly difficult, if not impractical. Second, the sudden death of any young athlete is tragic, but these events are uncommon (1–3). Third, Dr. Marek's characterization of the Sudden Death in Athletes Registry (1) as ...References1. Maron BJ, Doerer JJ, Haas TS, Tierney DM, Mueller FO. Sudden deaths in young competitive athletes: analysis of 1866 deaths in the United States, 1980-2006. Circulation. 2009;119:1085-92. [PMID: 19221222] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Maron BJ, Gohman TE, Aeppli D. Prevalence of sudden cardiac death during competitive sports activities in Minnesota high school athletes. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1998;32:1881-4. [PMID: 9857867] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Maron BJ, Haas TS, Doerer JJ, Thompson PD, Hodges JS. Comparison of U.S. and Italian experiences with sudden cardiac deaths in young competitive athletes and implications for preparticipation screening strategies. Am J Cardiol. 2009;104:276-80. [PMID: 19576360] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Corrado D, Basso C, Pavei A, Michieli P, Schiavon M, Thiene G. Trends in sudden cardiovascular death in young competitive athletes after implementation of a preparticipation screening program. JAMA. 2006;296:1593-601. [PMID: 17018804] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Glover DW, Glover DW, Maron BJ. Evolution in the process of screening United States high school student-athletes for cardiovascular disease. Am J Cardiol. 2007;100:1709-12. [PMID: 18036373] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Adabag AS, Kuskowski MA, Maron BJ. Determinants for clinical diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Am J Cardiol. 2006;98:1507-11. [PMID: 17126660] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. Viskin S. Antagonist: routine screening of all athletes prior to participation in competitive sports should be mandatory to prevent sudden cardiac death. Heart Rhythm. 2007;4:525-8. [PMID: 17399646] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. Thompson PD. Preparticipation screening of competitive athletes: seeking simple solutions to a complex problem [Editorial]. Circulation. 2009;119:1072-4. [PMID: 19221215] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. 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 Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Barry J. Maron, MDAffiliations: From Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, Minneapolis, MN 55407.Disclosures: Dr. Maron is the chairperson of the AHA position paper on guidelines for athlete screening (9). PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoNational Electrocardiography Screening for Competitive Athletes: Feasible in the United States? Barry J. Maron Electrocardiography and Preparticipation Screening of Competitive High School Athletes Joseph C. Marek Electrocardiography and Preparticipation Screening of Competitive High School Athletes Antonio Pelliccia and Domenico Corrado Metrics 20 July 2010Volume 153, Issue 2Page: 132-133KeywordsCardiovascular diseasesConflicts of interestDeath ratesElectrocardiographyForecastingHealth careHeartScreening guidelinesSportsSports and exercise medicine ePublished: 20 July 2010 Issue Published: 20 July 2010 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2010 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...