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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: An accurate estimate of the incidence of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in high school student athletes is needed to guide prevention strategies.
OBJECTIVE: To prospectively investigate SCA rates in high school student athletes versus student non-athletes.
METHODS: A prospective observational study of 2,149 U.S. high schools participating in the National Registry for AED Use in Sports was conducted from August 2009 to July 2011. Schools were contacted quarterly to collect and review SCA cases occurring on school campus. 95% of schools confirmed participation for the entire 2-year period.
RESULTS: The average numbers of total students and student athletes per school were 963 and 367, respectively, providing over 4.1 million total student-years and over 1.5 million student athlete-years of surveillance. 26 cases of SCA occurred in students, including 18 cases in student athletes all during exercise. The incidence of SCA for all students was 0.63 per 100,000, in student athletes 1.14 per 100,000, and in student non-athletes 0.31 per 100,000. The relative risk of SCA in student athletes compared to non-athletes was 3.65 (95% CI 1.6-8.4, P <0.01). 16 of 18 student athletes with SCA were male resulting in an incidence of 1.73 per 100,000 , 0.31 per 100,000 in females, and a relative risk in male compared to female student athletes of 5.65 (95% CI 1.3-24.6, P <0.01).
CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of SCA in high school student athletes is higher than previous estimates and may justify more advanced cardiac screening and improved emergency planning in schools.
Language: en |