Cardiac Screening for Athletes

As obesity and cardiovascular mortality has recently increased, sporting activities are recommended to people of all age groups more than past decades. Sudden cardiac death during sporting events resonate in a wide range of media and cause serious concern to the families. In order to reduce mortality, athlete screening has been raised. There is a disagreement about how to do the most effective and the least costly screening, also the necessity of screening. The American Heart Academy recommends screening with only history and physical examination, while European Society of Cardiology considers the inclusion of the electrocardiography. During sports activities, in response to the growing needs for the heart, a number of structural and electrical changes in the heart of athlete occur. This situation is briefly defined as the athlete heart. Although it is considered to be due to physiological changes in the athlete's heart, these changes are reflected in electrocardiography and they increase the number of false-positive cases. In 2010, European Society of Cardiology divided findings into two groups as physiological and pathological findings in order to prevent this confusion. With these criteria, it was aimed to increase the sensitivity of electrocardiography while reducing the false-positive rates. Despite all the precautions sudden cardiac death could not be completely precluded. Because of this, as well as the protective measures; cautions after the incident are also important. In the emergency plan, knowledgeable and experienced team of resuscitation and external cardiac defibrillator dissemination campaigns are the first things coming to mind. [Archives Medical Review Journal 2013; 22(4.000): 575-590]