Adding ECG to health exams may prevent sudden cardiac death in young athletes
Friday, March 19, 2010 - 09:43
in Health & Medicine
Each year, two in every 100,000 young athletes succumb to sudden cardiac death, fuelling a debate over what constitutes a comprehensive health screening prior to sports participation. A new study by researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Heart Centre found the addition of electrocardiogram (ECG) testing to the standard medical history and physical examination for young athletes may better identify key cardiovascular abnormalities responsible for sports-related sudden death. In their report in the March 2 Annals of Internal Medicine, the researchers concluded that ECG improves the overall sensitivity of cardiovascular prescreenings but is also associated with a significant rate of false positive results...