Journal
HEART RHYTHM
Volume 11, Issue 7, Pages 1190-1194Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
DOI: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2014.04.017
Keywords
Sudden cardiac death; Sports; Screening; Young athlete; Exercise; Automated external defibrillator
Categories
Funding
- National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment
Ask authors/readers for more resources
BACKGROUND An accurate estimate of the incidence of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in high school student athletes is needed to guide prevention strategies. OBJECTIVE To prospectively investigate SCA rates in high school student athletes vs student nonathletes. METHODS A prospective observational study of 2149 US high schools participating in the National Registry for AED Use in Sports was conducted from August 2009 to July 2011. Schools were contacted quarterly to collect and review SCA cases occurring on school campus. Ninety-five percent (2045) of the schools confirmed participation for the entire 2-year period. RESULTS The average numbers of total students and student athletes per school were 963 and 367, respectively, providing more than 4.1 million total student-years and more than 1.5 million student athlete-years of surveillance. Twenty-six cases of SCA occurred in students, including 18 cases in student athletes-all during exercise. The incidence of SCA in all students was 0.63 per 100,000; in student athletes, 1.14 per 100,000; and in student nonathletes, 0.31 per 100,000. The relative risk of SCA in student athletes vs nonathletes was 3.65 (95% confidence interval 1.6-8.4; P < .01). Sixteen of 18 (89%) student athletes with SCA were boys, resulting in an incidence of 1.73 per 100,000 in boys and 0.31 per 100,000 in girls and a relative risk in male compared with female student athletes of 5.65 (95% confidence interval 1.3-24.6; P < .01). CONCLUSION The incidence of SCA in high school student athletes is higher than previous estimates and may justify more advanced cardiac screening and improved emergency planning in schools.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available