Skip to main content

Etiology of Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Death in US Competitive Athletes: A 2-Year Prospective Surveillance Study.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Peterson, DF; Siebert, DM; Kucera, KL; Thomas, LC; Maleszewski, JJ; Lopez-Anderson, M; Suchsland, MZ; Harmon, KG; Drezner, JA
Published in: Clin J Sport Med
July 2020

OBJECTIVE: To determine the etiology of sudden cardiac arrest and death (SCA/D) in competitive athletes through a prospective national surveillance program. DESIGN: Sudden cardiac arrest and death cases in middle school, high school, college, and professional athletes were identified from July 2014 to June 2016 through traditional and social media searches, reporting to the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research, communication with state and national high school associations, review of the Parent Heart Watch database, and search of student-athlete deaths on the NCAA Resolutions List. Autopsy reports and medical records were reviewed by a multidisciplinary panel to determine the underlying cause. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: US competitive athletes with SCA/D. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Etiology of SCA/D. RESULTS: A total of 179 cases of SCA/D were identified (74 arrests with survival, 105 deaths): average age 16.6 years (range 11-29), 149 (83.2%) men, 94 (52.5%) whites, and 54 (30.2%) African American. One hundred seventeen (65.4%) had an adjudicated diagnosis, including 83 deaths and 34 survivors. The most common etiologies included hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (19, 16.2%), coronary artery anomalies (16, 13.7%), idiopathic left ventricular hypertrophy/possible cardiomyopathy (13, 11.1%), autopsy-negative sudden unexplained death (8, 6.8%), Wolff-Parkinson-White (8, 6.8%), and long QT syndrome (7, 6.0%). Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was more common in male basketball (23.3%), football (25%), and African American athletes (30.3%). An estimated 56.4% of cases would likely demonstrate abnormalities on an electrocardiogram. CONCLUSIONS: The etiology of SCA/D in competitive athletes involves a wide range of clinical disorders. More robust reporting mechanisms, standardized autopsy protocols, and accurate etiology data are needed to better inform prevention strategies.

Duke Scholars

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

Clin J Sport Med

DOI

EISSN

1536-3724

Publication Date

July 2020

Volume

30

Issue

4

Start / End Page

305 / 314

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • United States
  • Sports
  • Sport Sciences
  • Prospective Studies
  • Primary Prevention
  • Population Surveillance
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Female
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Peterson, D. F., Siebert, D. M., Kucera, K. L., Thomas, L. C., Maleszewski, J. J., Lopez-Anderson, M., … Drezner, J. A. (2020). Etiology of Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Death in US Competitive Athletes: A 2-Year Prospective Surveillance Study. Clin J Sport Med, 30(4), 305–314. https://doi.org/10.1097/JSM.0000000000000598
Peterson, Danielle F., David M. Siebert, Kristen L. Kucera, Leah Cox Thomas, Joseph J. Maleszewski, Martha Lopez-Anderson, Monica Z. Suchsland, Kimberly G. Harmon, and Jonathan A. Drezner. “Etiology of Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Death in US Competitive Athletes: A 2-Year Prospective Surveillance Study.Clin J Sport Med 30, no. 4 (July 2020): 305–14. https://doi.org/10.1097/JSM.0000000000000598.
Peterson DF, Siebert DM, Kucera KL, Thomas LC, Maleszewski JJ, Lopez-Anderson M, et al. Etiology of Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Death in US Competitive Athletes: A 2-Year Prospective Surveillance Study. Clin J Sport Med. 2020 Jul;30(4):305–14.
Peterson, Danielle F., et al. “Etiology of Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Death in US Competitive Athletes: A 2-Year Prospective Surveillance Study.Clin J Sport Med, vol. 30, no. 4, July 2020, pp. 305–14. Pubmed, doi:10.1097/JSM.0000000000000598.
Peterson DF, Siebert DM, Kucera KL, Thomas LC, Maleszewski JJ, Lopez-Anderson M, Suchsland MZ, Harmon KG, Drezner JA. Etiology of Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Death in US Competitive Athletes: A 2-Year Prospective Surveillance Study. Clin J Sport Med. 2020 Jul;30(4):305–314.

Published In

Clin J Sport Med

DOI

EISSN

1536-3724

Publication Date

July 2020

Volume

30

Issue

4

Start / End Page

305 / 314

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • United States
  • Sports
  • Sport Sciences
  • Prospective Studies
  • Primary Prevention
  • Population Surveillance
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Female