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About 90 young U.S. athletes suffer sudden cardiac death (SCD) annually. The International Olympic Committee and other organizations recommend electrocardiography (ECG) screening for athletes. In two studies, researchers explored this proposal for U.S. high school and college athletes.
In a decision analysis, investigators modeled the efficacy and costs for one-time screening of student athletes for known SCD risk factors (e.g., prolonged QT interval, left ventricular hypertrophy); they used published estimates of prevalence, screening accuracy, SCD risk, screening and follow-up costs, and treatment effectiveness. History and physical examination (H&P) alone saved 0.56 life-years per 1000 athletes screened at a cost of US$199,000 per life-ye…