ECG in College Athletes

ACC: ECG Reveals Cardiac Problems in A Third of College Athletes

By Crystal Phend, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Published: April 01, 2009 Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco Earn CME/CE credit for reading medical news

ORLANDO, April 1 -- Cardiac screening for college-level athletes that included an electrocardiogram discovered abnormalities in 21% to 37% of students, according to two studies at major U.S. universities. Action Points   Note that these studies were published as abstracts and presented as posters at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. Note that neither study included a control group for comparison of standard history- and physical exam-based preparticipation screening with and without electrocardiograms. But researchers from the two groups reached opposite conclusions about routine EKGs for athletes at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) meeting here this week. Professional athletes in the U.S. commonly get intensive cardiac screening, but its use at lower levels of competition has been debated. The European Cardiology Society supports routine electrocardiograms to reduce risk of sudden cardiac death in competitive collegiate sports. The ACC recommends only a simpler, history- and physical exam-based screening. The leader of one research group, Anthony Magalski, M.D., of St. Luke's Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Mo., spoke to the value of added testing./.../