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CRY's Cardiac Screening in Sport

One of the aims of our proactive screening programme is to assess cardiac function in athletes via the CRY Centre for Inherited Cardiovascular Conditions and Sports Cardiology.

See also cardiac-related sudden deaths in sport

International Olympic Committee (IOC) Consensus Statement on Periodic Health Evaluation of Elite Athletes - March '09

The scope of the cardiovascular PHE is to detect potentially lethal cardiovascular disease in elite athletes and start appropriate management to reduce the risk for sudden cardiac death and/or disease progression in a timely fashion.

      
Screening:

  • Will identify most cardiac abnormalities. At least 12 young people die suddenly each week in the UK of cardiac abnormalities - sudden death syndrome or sudden cardiac death

  • Will raise awareness of symptoms amongst coaches and physiotherapists.

  • Will raise awareness throughout sport of the risk of Sudden Death Syndrome / Sudden Cardiac Death and highlight the families that are most at risk - particularly those that have already suffered from a young sudden cardiac death and who might not be aware that other family members must be screened.

  • Will encourage young people to take better care of their heart/health in a broader sense.

  • At a time when there are increasing demands on physical fitness in all high profile sports it will reassure parents who are well aware that these tragedies occur and often cannot gain access to further information.

  • Will remove the potential for damaging litigation and negative media cover, by the sport having taken every possible and responsible precaution to ensure the fitness of their athletes.
     

 

All elite rugby union players in England above the age of 16 to be offered cardiac screening - 26th October 2010
All Aviva Premiership players, Regional Academy players above the age of 16 and England representative team players down to Under 16 level, will be offered testing for cardiac abnormalities in a screening programme announced today at Twyford Avenue, the training base for London Wasps, by Premiership Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and the Rugby Players' Association.

 

Pelliccia, A., Fagard, R., Bjornstad, H.H., Anastassakis, A., Arbustini, E., Assanelli, D., Biffi, A., Borjesson, M., Carre, F., Corrado, D., Delise, P., Dorwarth, U., Hirth, A., Heidbuchel, H., Hoffmann, E., Mellwig, K.P., Panhuyzen-Goedkoop, N., Pisani, A., Solberg, E.E., van-Buuren, F. and Vanhees, L.

"Recommendations for competitive sports participation in athletes with cardiovascular disease.  A consensus document from the Study Group of Sports Cardiology of the Working Group of Cardiac Rehabilitation and Exercise Physiology and the Working Group of Myocardial and Pericardial diseases of the European Society of Cardiology."

European Heart Journal 2005 (May)  [Full Text]

 

Cardiologists call for cardiovascular screening for all young competitive athletes - February 2005

International heart and sports medicine experts have called for a Europe-wide cardiovascular screening programme for all young athletes before they are allowed to take part in competitive athletics.  The aim is to pick up potentially life-threatening problems that put young athletes at risk and to cut the numbers collapsing and dying while participating in competitive sport.

 

IOC Adopt Recommendations on Tackling Sudden Cardiovascular Death in Sport

The purpose of these recommendations is to identify, as accurately as possible, athletes at risk in order to advise them accordingly. The "Lausanne Recommendations" introduce the principle of preparticipation cardiovascular screening in sport, including four elements: the personal history of the athlete, his/her family history, a physical examination and an electrocardiogram.

CRY Centre for Sports Cardiology Launch - 15th April 2002
 "CRY is a dynamic charity excitingly poised on the threshold of a unique opportunity to make a significant contribution to Sports Cardiology and save young lives."
Ian Botham, Honorary President

The Lawn Tennis Association Screenings
Alison Cox initiated, with the cooperation of the Lawn Tennis Association, screening of Britain's top ranked players at the Nationals in Telford in November 1993

Report on Screening provided to the English Institute of Sport by the Rugby Football League
 "...highlight the importance of what we are trying to do with screening and could be 2 lives that have been saved by the World Class Plan."
Dr Lisa H Phillips 

Screening should be mandatory - Cricket World Winter 2002 
Alex was a promising young cricketer who dropped dead aged 12, during a school match, before he had been able to fulfil his cricketing aspirations.  He had been suffering from symptoms for some time before he died but these were dismissed by a number of doctors who were consulted.

 

 

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