Clinical findings, work-up, treatment, long-term management, and athlete preparticipation screening guidelines are discussed in an article published in the July issue of Post Graduate Medicine. Researchers state that knowledge of sudden cardiac death in young athletes is imperative for all physicians and allied health professionals. The complete differential diagnosis of a young patient with sudden cardiac arrest will result in proper work-up and treatment. In this article, researchers review several etiologies of sudden cardiac death, including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, long QT syndrome, Brugada syndrome, and commotio cordis.

SOURCE: Michael S. Westrol, BA; Raffi Kapitanyan, MD; Andreia Marques-Baptista, MD; And Mark A. Merlin, DO, Post Graduate Medicine, July 2010