Collapsed athlete - atraumatic

There are several potential causes for an athlete to collapse without trauma on the playing or practice field. Fortunately, most of the time the etiology is benign and recovery is rapid and uneventful. However, when faced with a collapsed athlete, medical personnel need to be prepared for life-threatening conditions until these conditions are ruled out. The most common cause of atraumatic sudden death in athletes is cardiac arrest, usually because of a variety of underlying cardiac conditions. Immediate initiation of CPR with rapid AED use can be the key to survival. Rectal temperature can detect possible heat stroke with need for immediate cooling instituted prior to athlete transport. Exertional hyponatremia is another cause of life-threatening collapse in prolonged endurance events such as marathons and triathlons.