Electrocardiography in pre-participation screening and current guidelines for participation in competitive sports

Abstract

Electrocardiography (ECG) is especially significant in pre-participation screening due to its ability to discover or to rise a suspicion for certain cardiovascular diseases and conditions that represent a serious health risk in athletes. Common, conditionally benign and training related ECG changes are sinus bradycardia and sinus arrhythmia, first degree atrioventricular block, incomplete right bundle branch block, benign early repolarization, and isolated QRS voltage criteria for left ventricular enlargement. Uncommon ECG changes, unrelated to training, and some specific syndromes are ST segment depression and/or ≥ 2mm T wave inversion in two or more adjacent leads, intraventricular conduction disorder, Wolf–Parkinson–White syndrome, long QT interval syndrome, short QT interval syndrome, catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, monomorphic ventricular extrasystole and benign ventricular tachycardia.

Keywords: examination; athletes; recommendations