Journal of Clinical Medicine
Frontiers in the Risk Stratification and Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Death in Athletes
By Jacob Cushing, Luke Hamar and John Fritzlen.
Abstract
Background
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and sudden cardiac death (SCD) remain the leading causes of exercise-related mortality in athletes. Research in recent years has produced substantial advances in the understanding of athlete-specific risk, the etiologic spectrum of SCA/SCD, and the tools available for screening and risk stratification.
Methods
We performed a narrative review of the literature identified through PubMed/MEDLINE searches of related terms, supplemented by targeted searches and reference checking. Summary of the Review: In this narrative review, we synthesize updated evidence on the epidemiology, etiologies, screening, and emerging technologies relevant to SCA/SCD in athletes.
Conclusions
Contemporary evaluation of SCA/SCD risk in athletes relies on multimodal, individualized assessment with longitudinal surveillance and shared decision-making. Emerging computational tools may further refine risk prediction, but current evidence remains limited.