Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Young Athletes:

Facts and Figures

Who is at risk?

Children who participate in youth sports are at 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%)

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

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 makes sports-related SCD prevention and awareness more important than ever before!

 

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

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.)

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