Does EKG Better Predict SCD Than Traditional Preparticipation Evaluation?
Faculty Advisor Name
Abby Massey
Department
Department of Health Professions
Description
Introduction: Pre-participation evaluation (PPE) in athletes attempts to reduce the incidence of preventable disease such as sudden cardiac death (SCD) during sports by identifying individuals who may be more susceptible. The objective of this study was to evaluate the question: does electrocardiogram (EKG) obtained during preparticipation evaluation better identify predictors of sudden cardiac death than history and physical exam in adolescent athletes?
Methods: Researchers utilized PubMed for this literature search with MESH terms to narrow down an initial search of 143 results to 3 articles that satisfied research criteria. MESH search terms included sudden cardiac death, electrocardiography, physical examination, and adolescent. Exclusion criteria were studies older than 10 years, studies that did not utilize echocardiogram as the gold standard, studies that did not address the PICO question, or were not either RCT or cohort studies.
Results: All three studies showed superior sensitivity and specificity of EKG over history and physical exam (H&PE). Fudge et al, EKG had a sensitivity of 80% and specificity 100%, while H&PE had a sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 95%. Grazioli et al, EKG had a sensitivity of 50% and specificity of 95%, while H&PE had a sensitivity of 16% and specificity of 98%. Williams et al, EKG had a sensitivity of 87.5% and specificity of 97.5%, while H&PE had a sensitivity of 18.8% and specificity of 75.1%.
Conclusion: Evaluation from history and physical exam performs poorly compared with EKG for cardiovascular screening of adolescent athletes.
Does EKG Better Predict SCD Than Traditional Preparticipation Evaluation?
Introduction: Pre-participation evaluation (PPE) in athletes attempts to reduce the incidence of preventable disease such as sudden cardiac death (SCD) during sports by identifying individuals who may be more susceptible. The objective of this study was to evaluate the question: does electrocardiogram (EKG) obtained during preparticipation evaluation better identify predictors of sudden cardiac death than history and physical exam in adolescent athletes?
Methods: Researchers utilized PubMed for this literature search with MESH terms to narrow down an initial search of 143 results to 3 articles that satisfied research criteria. MESH search terms included sudden cardiac death, electrocardiography, physical examination, and adolescent. Exclusion criteria were studies older than 10 years, studies that did not utilize echocardiogram as the gold standard, studies that did not address the PICO question, or were not either RCT or cohort studies.
Results: All three studies showed superior sensitivity and specificity of EKG over history and physical exam (H&PE). Fudge et al, EKG had a sensitivity of 80% and specificity 100%, while H&PE had a sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 95%. Grazioli et al, EKG had a sensitivity of 50% and specificity of 95%, while H&PE had a sensitivity of 16% and specificity of 98%. Williams et al, EKG had a sensitivity of 87.5% and specificity of 97.5%, while H&PE had a sensitivity of 18.8% and specificity of 75.1%.
Conclusion: Evaluation from history and physical exam performs poorly compared with EKG for cardiovascular screening of adolescent athletes.
