The Use of Echocardiograms in Preparticipation Examinations

Abstract

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the leading cause of death during exercise in young athletes. Preparticipation physical examinations were developed to maintain the health and safety of athletes, including the prompt identification of those at risk for SCD. The use of medical history and physical examinations, electrocardiography, and echocardiography, or some combination thereof, is the source of continued debate. This article provides an overview of the etiology of SCD and reviews literature relating to preparticipation echocardiography, with a focus on its evolution, utility, and effectiveness. The limited echocardiogram is a potentially viable screening option yet to be thoroughly explored by experts and policymakers in the sports medicine community.

The Athlete’s Heart and Machine Learning: A Review of Current Implementations and Gaps for Future Research

“…"Predictive Modelling" made up most of the studies with 10 (36%) [14,16,21,22,26,27,31,32,34,40] being assigned to this group. "Reviews" was the next single largest group with eight (29%) studies [15,17,18,23,29,30,35,38]. "Wearables" was the smallest single group with four (14%) studies [20,25,28,37].…”

“…Within the data, there were eight studies which were classified as reviews. Georgijević and Andrić [17] and Lucas et al [23] had relatively similar aims: they both reviewed the current use of different modalities in the pre-participation screening of athletes, with Georgijević and Andrić [17] looking specifically at ECG and Lucas et al [23] concentrating on echocardiography. These studies also review the guidelines for how their respective modality should be used in the pre-participation environment and the benefits that they provide.…”

“…The use of the ECG as part of athletes' screening is recommended by associations worldwide, including the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the International Olympic Committee, highlighting its widespread application within the literature [17]. ECGs are also very commonly used among healthcare practitioners due to them being a cost-effective, non-invasive technique with a relatively high sensitivity for detecting underlying cardiac disease [23].…”

“…It also plays a crucial role in diagnosing some conditions where the ECG is less sensitive such as Marfan Syndrome, coronary anomalies, and dilated cardiomyopathy [18]. Echocardiography also yields positive results when used in conjunction with the information generated from other sources, such as ECGs, in a multimodal approach [23].…”