Adding an Electrocardiogram to the Pre-participation Examination in Competitive Athletes: A Systematic Review

No matter how rare, the death of young athletes is a tragedy. Can it be prevented? The European experience suggests that adding the electrocardiogram (ECG) to the standard medical and family history and physical examination can decrease cardiac deaths by 90%. However, there has not been a randomized trial to demonstrate such a reduction. While there are obvious differences between the European and American experiences with athletes including...