Cardiovascular screening of student athletes

Each year, a number of children and adolescents die suddenly from cardiac p roblems that are associated with a small subgroup of disorders and high-ris k behaviors. While sudden cardiac death in any child or adolescent is distr essing, it can be particularly devastating when it occurs in a seemingly he althy young athlete, Although uncommon in competitive sports, sudden death is a catastrophe that physicians who care for athletes should attempt to pr event. To prevent the occurrence of sudden death or cardiovascular disease progression in young athletes, the American Academy of Family Physicians, A merican Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Cardiology, American Col lege of Sports Medicine, American Heart Association, American Medical Socie ty for Sports Medicine, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine an d American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine have developed or endorse d recommendations for cardiovascular screening of student athletes as part of a comprehensive sports preparticipation physical evaluation (PPE). Knowl edge and understanding of these recommendations can help physicians make in formed decisions about the eligibility of an athlete to participate in a pa rticular sport and encourage development of a more uniform PPE screening pr ocess.