Check out my monthly column at EnduranceCorner. Celebrating national CPR week, I urged athletes to learn CPR and use of an automatic external defibrillator (AED). We’re all safer if our athlete friends know these lifesaving techniques.
You Could Be the Hero!
Dr. Creswell,
I agree that early CPR and AED use will help to increase survival of athletes that succumb to the ravishes of SCA, but how do we prevent this? The most prudent way that I can think of is by obtaining EKG’s on all athletes. I know that the research is not promising regarding sensitivity and specificity of pre-screenign EKG’s and I understand the fact that SCA in young athletes is estimated to be 1 per 100,000 which deems it a rare condition. My rebuttle to that is: what if you catch one LQTS or other ion channelopathy? You could potentially impact the lives of several people! Programs like “Young Hearts 4 Life” in suburban Chicago, seem to not only help identify this population in a low cost/non-invasive manner, but the program also provides great PR for their institution. That is my argument or rather, my opinion, so I digress…what is your stance on screening EKG’s in young athletes for conditions that cause SCA with EKG manifestations (HCM, ARVD, LQTS, SQTS, brugada syndrome, DCM, WPW, and myocarditis [realizing that the latter can only be seen after the patient is infected])?
Thank you for your time,
Derek
Derek,
Thanks for your comment.
I am an advocate for robust screening programs–for both children and adults–that include an EKG. Like you, I believe the cost is worthwhile even if very few affected individuals are identified.
I personally recommend an EKG (once) for all athletes.
Larrt