The athlete’s electrocardiogram
Electrocardiogram (ECG) is being increasingly used as part of cardiovascular preparticipation screening of young competitive athletes (under 35 years of age) since it significantly increases the sensitivity of such screening compared to history and clinical examination alone. It has become part of a...
Main Authors: | , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Slovenian Medical Association
2010-09-01
|
Series: | Zdravniški Vestnik |
Online Access: | http://vestnik.szd.si/index.php/ZdravVest/article/view/289 |
Summary: | Electrocardiogram (ECG) is being increasingly
used as part of cardiovascular preparticipation
screening of young competitive athletes (under
35 years of age) since it significantly increases the
sensitivity of such screening compared to history
and clinical examination alone. It has become
part of a common European protocol for cardiovascular
preparticipation screening of young
competitive athletes.
For a proper interpretation of ECG changes, it
is crucial to be familiar with ECG abnormalities
in cardiovascular diseases causing sudden
cardiac death, and with normal variants of athlete’s
ECG, originating from their adaptations to
intense athletic training. Structural adaptations
(increased heart chamber size and mass) often
result in isolated voltage criterion for left ventricular
hypertrophy and incomplete right bundle
branch block, while functional adaptations
(mainly heightened parasympathetic tone) result
in rhythm disorders (sinus bradycardia, pauses
and arrhythmia, wandering atrial pacemaker),
conduction abnormalities (atrioventricular
block grade I and grade II Mobitz 1) and repolarization
abnormalities (early repolarization, T
wave changes).
The article gives a detailed description of ECG
changes in the athlete’s heart and in cardiovascular
diseases responsible for most sudden cardiac
deaths in young athletes. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 1318-0347 1581-0224 |