Preparticipation Exam to Identify Risk for Sudden Cardiac Death.

The article reports on guidelines for cardiac screening in the preparticipation physical examination of athletes for the prevention of sudden cardiac death. The Science Advisory and Coordinating Committee of the American Heart Association has developed guidelines which involve key medical history questions that assess the risk for specific cardiac abnormalities. Risk factors for sudden cardiac death include congenital cardiac abnormalities, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and coronary anomaly.