A new consensus document on electrocardiographic interpretation in athletes: does it help to prevent sudden cardiac death in athletes?

Sudden cardiac arrest or death (SCA/SCD) in athletes has a low event rate. Pre-participation or eligibility screening is a widely accepted method of primary prevention of SCA/SCD in athletes. Most European countries and international sports governing bodies perform ECG-inclusive screening. However, implementation of a resting 12-lead ECG in pre-participation or eligibility cardiac screening is still a topic of debate. Recently, the ‘International recommendations for electrocardiographic interpretation in athletes’ was published in three leading international medical journals. These international ECG criteria are based on studies with detailed information on resting 12-lead ECG of Caucasian and Afro-Caribbean athletes or on consensus in case evidence was lacking. Normal, borderline and abnormal ECG findings in young athletes (age 12–35 years) are clearly described and illustrated to assist the screening physician in interpreting ECGs of athletes correctly.

In this ‘point of view paper’ we will discuss whether these new ECG criteria actually help prevent SCA/SCD in athletes.