Sudden death in athletes in Trinidad and Tobago

Sudden death related to exercise activity is a well-recognized clinical syndrome. Although the incidence is low, it is always an agonizing experience to all concerned when a young, relatively healthy individual dies suddenly. Over the last four years, we have had six proven cases of sudden death in athletes. The cause varied from congenital to acquired pathology of the heart, and there was one case of heat stroke. From this study, we were able to analyse some of the risk factors and, from a review of the literature, we are able to determine (1) the feasibility of a screening programme, and (2) the design of such a programme as would be suitable for our environment.