Cardiovascular screening practices in collegiate student-athletes

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Cardiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Cardiovascular abnormalities pose a risk of sudden cardiac death in collegiate athletes.
• Standardized preparticipation evaluation (PPE) forms are crucial for identifying these risks.
• The American Heart Association (AHA) provides recommendations for cardiovascular screening.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the current preparticipation evaluation (PPE) practices and forms used in collegiate student-athletes.
• To assess the adherence to American Heart Association (AHA) cardiovascular screening recommendations.

Main Methods:

• A phone and e-mail survey was conducted among National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I universities.
• 257 out of 347 NCAA Division I universities participated (74% response rate).
• PPE forms were analyzed for the inclusion of 12 specific AHA cardiovascular screening recommendations.

Main Results:

• All participating universities required screening for freshmen and transfers; 32% required annual screening for returning athletes.
• Only 8% of universities utilized PPE forms that included all 12 AHA recommended cardiovascular screening items.
• The majority of universities (90%) did not use updated American College of Sports Medicine PPE forms.

Conclusions:

• A significant majority of NCAA Division I universities (92%) do not meet AHA recommendations for cardiovascular screening via their PPE forms.
• Current screening practices may be insufficient to detect cardiovascular abnormalities that could lead to sudden cardiac death in student-athletes.
• There is a need for improved and standardized cardiovascular screening protocols in collegiate sports.