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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Cardiovasc. Med.
Sec. Sex and Gender in Cardiovascular Medicine
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2024.1461028

Preparticipation screening in young female elite ice hockey players

Provisionally accepted
Alexander Mohl Alexander Mohl Janis Pongratz Janis Pongratz Selina Muxel Selina Muxel Manuel Berger Manuel Berger Michael Berr Michael Berr Bastian Schneider Bastian Schneider Anna Schlichting-Knoob Anna Schlichting-Knoob Ulrich Platz Ulrich Platz Uwe Dorwarth Uwe Dorwarth Sebastian Rogowski Sebastian Rogowski Ellen Hoffmann Ellen Hoffmann Florian Straube Florian Straube *
  • Heart Center Munich-Bogenhausen, Cardiology and Internal Intensive Care Medicine, Munich, Germany

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The occurrence of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in competitive athletes has led to a discussion about appropriate preparticipation screening models. The role of an electrocardiogram (ECG) in routine testing remains controversial in current guidelines. Furthermore, data on cardiac findings and the prognostic utility of screening strategies in young female elite ice hockey is scarce.Arrhythmia-Related Death in Athletes" (GEPARD) registry from 2008 to 2018. A staged preparticipation screening was performed. The main goal was to determine the prevalence of SCD conditions and identify effective screening tools. The secondary aim was to study baseline results and follow-ups on a unique subgroup of young female ice hockey players.A total of 88 female ice hockey players, mean age 16±1 years, were prospectively enrolled. The prevalence of conditions potentially leading to SCD during competition was 3.4% (3/88). The 12-lead ECG led to the diagnosis of one congenital long QT and one acute myocarditis and showed a number needed to screen of 44, with a specificity of 98%. One athlete demonstrated a relevant pericardial effusion on echocardiography, which was related to acute toxoplasmosis. No cases of SCD occurred during long-term follow-up.The subgroup of young female ice hockey players showed a notable prevalence of athletes "at risk" of 3.4%, which indicates the importance of preparticipation screening that features a 12-lead ECG as the most important component.

    Keywords: Preparticipation screening, Sudden cardiac death, prevention, Athletes, Ice hockey, females

    Received: 07 Jul 2024; Accepted: 05 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Mohl, Pongratz, Muxel, Berger, Berr, Schneider, Schlichting-Knoob, Platz, Dorwarth, Rogowski, Hoffmann and Straube. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Florian Straube, Heart Center Munich-Bogenhausen, Cardiology and Internal Intensive Care Medicine, Munich, Germany

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