Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Young Athletes: Facts and Figures

Who is at risk? By the numbers

  • It is estimated that one sports-related SCA occurs every 3 days in the United States

  • Sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young athletes ranges from 2.3 to 4.4/100,000 per year

  • SCD is the number one medical killer of young athletes

  • 1 in 200 adolescents have a potentially lethal undiagnosed cardiac condition

  • Children who participate in youth sports are at high risk for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) related to undetected cardiac anomalies or abrupt impact to the chest (commotio cordis)

  • The major causes of SCD:

    • Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (24%)

    • Coronary artery abnormalities (18%)

    • Coronary artery disease (14%)

    • Myocarditis (12%)

Now more than Ever

  • Recent studies have found a strong correlation between out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and incidence of COVID-19 cases

  • Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been linked to several cardiovascular complications, including myocarditis, heart failure, ventricular fibrillation and other arrhythmias, etc.

  • The rise in youth sports participation in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic makes sports-related SCD prevention and awareness more important than ever before!

 

This figure shows the percent change in total monthly numbers of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) from March/April 2018-2019 to March/April 2020 for each of the 50 major U.S cities. Deviations > 10% are considered significant and those cities over the red line showed > 20% increases in OHCA compared to pre-pandemic 2018-2019 (McVaney et al.)

Common causes of SCD in young athletes < 35 years old (divided into structural, electrical, or acquired cardiac abnormalities) (Chandra et al., 2013).

The Difference between youth sports and school sports

School Sports …

  • are more likely to have an athletic trainer to provide on-site medical care

  • require pre-participation physical evaluations to promote early detection of cardiac anomalies

Youth Sports …

  • typically rely on unpaid volunteers to provide any medical support

  • often do not require pre-participation physical exams

Recognize, React, Rescue: Effectively Treating Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Check out Dr. Jonathan Drezner, Team Physician for the Seattle Seahawks and Director of the University of Washington Center for Sports Cardiology, on proper recognition and management of SCA

References:

Bogue KA, Idriss SF, Sturkey D, Derouin A. Improving Youth Sports Safety: Implementing an Emergency Action Plan for Sudden Cardiac Arrest. J Pediatr Nurs. 2021 Jul-Aug;59:81-88. doi: 10.1016/j.pedn.2020.10.001. Epub 2021 Feb 4. PMID: 33549955.

Koester M. C. (2001). A Review of Sudden Cardiac Death in Young Athletes and Strategies for Preparticipation Cardiovascular Screening. Journal of athletic training, 36(2), 197–204.

Kevin McVaney, Paul Pepe, Lauren Maroney, E. Stein Bronsky, Remle Crow, James Augustine, et al., The relationship of large city out-of-hospital cardiac arrests and the prevalence of COVID-19, EClinicalMedicine, Volume 34, 100815

Navin Chandra, Rachel Bastiaenen, Michael Papadakis, Sanjay Sharma,Sudden Cardiac Death in Young Athletes: Practical Challenges and Diagnostic Dilemmas, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Volume 61, Issue 10, 2013, Pages 1027-1040, ISSN 0735-1097.