AUTHOR=Carrington Mafalda , Providência Rui , Chahal C. Anwar A. , D'Ascenzi Flavio , Cipriani Alberto , Ricci Fabrizio , Khanji Mohammed Y. 

TITLE=Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Defibrillator Use in Sports

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2022.819609

DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2022.819609

ISSN=2297-055X

ABSTRACT=Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in young athletes is rare, with an estimated incidence ranging from 0.1 to 2 per 100,000 per athlete-year. The creation of SCA registries can help provide accurate data regarding incidence, treatment and outcomes and help implement primary or secondary prevention strategies that could change the course of these events. Early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation are the most important determinants of survival and neurologic prognosis in individuals who suffer SCA. Compared to the general population, individuals with clinically silent cardiac disease who practice regular physical exercise are at increased risk of SCA events. While the implementation of national pre-participation screening has been largely debated, with no current consensus, the number of athletes who will be diagnosed cardiac disease and have an indication for implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is unknown. Many SCA victims do not have a previous cardiac diagnosis. Therefore, appropriate use and availability of automated external defibrillator (AED) in public spaces is the crucial part of the integrated response to prevent these fatalities both for participating athletes and for spectators. Governments and sports institutions should invest and educate members of the public, security, and healthcare professionals in immediate initiation of CPR and early AED use. Smartphone apps could play an integral to allow bystanders to alert the emergency services and CPR trained responders and locate and utilize the nearest AED to positively influence the outcomes by strengthening the chain of survival. The aim of this review is to summarize the available evidence on sudden cardiac death prevention among young athletes, and to provide some guidance on strategies that can be implemented by governments and on the novel tools that can help saving these lives.