Sudden Death in the Young: Information for the Primary Care Provider.

There are multiple conditions that can make children prone to having a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) or sudden cardiac death (SCD). Efforts have been made by multiple organizations to screen children for cardiac conditions, but the emphasis has been on screening before athletic competition. This article is an update of the previous American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement of 2012 that addresses prevention of SCA and SCD. This update includes a comprehensive review of conditions that should prompt more attention and cardiology evaluation. The role of the primary care provider is of paramount importance in the evaluation of children, particularly as they enter middle school or junior high. There is discussion about whether screening should find any cardiac condition or just those that are associated with SCA and SCD. This update reviews the 4 main screening questions that are recommended, not just for athletes, but for all children. There is also discussion about how to handle post-SCA and SCD situations as well as discussion about genetic testing. It is the goal of this policy statement update to provide the primary care provider more assistance in how to screen for life-threatening conditions, regardless of athletic status.

A Prospective Pilot Study of Anxiety Sensitivity and Adolescent Sports-Related Concussion.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the relationship of that anxiety sensitivity (AS) with the initial and ongoing symptoms reported by adolescents after sustaining a sports-related concussion (SRC). METHOD: Participants were 40 adolescents, ages 13-18, presenting for treatment at a children's sports medicine specialty clinic following a diagnosis of either an SRC or a musculoskeletal injury. After the initial clinic intake, participants completed an online survey at three-time points. Survey measures included the self-report graded symptom checklist and the AS Index-3. Researchers used growth curve analysis to examine the relationship between AS Index-3 scores with initial and ongoing symptom reporting over time. The 20 participants sustaining an SRC were matched by age, gender, and race with 20 musculoskeletal injury controls. RESULTS: Concussed adolescents with higher AS scores reported more initial symptoms than did those reporting musculoskeletal injury. AS was not related to the rate of symptom reduction over time for either group. CONCLUSION: Higher AS moderated the relationship between injury type (concussion vs. musculoskeletal injury) and the total number of initial symptoms reported by adolescent participants, with every unit increase in AS yielding a four-unit increase in initial symptoms reporting. Previous research has shown that elevated initial symptom scores are a strong predictor of protracted recovery in concussion. AS is amenable to brief treatment interventions. It is a potential early target for treatment intervention following diagnosis of adolescent SRC.

Interim Guidance on the Preparticipation Physical Examination for Athletes During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic.

The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) convened a writing group to address the current evidence and knowledge gaps regarding preparticipation evaluation of athletes during the SARS-CoV2 pandemic. The writing group held a series of meetings beginning in April 2020. The task force reviewed the available literature and used an iterative process and expert consensus to finalize this guidance statement that is intended to provide clinicians with a clinical framework to return athletes of all levels to training and competition during the pandemic. The statement is not intended to address treatment, infection control principles, or public health issues related to SARS-CoV2. The AMSSM task force acknowledges the clinical uncertainty, evolving public health objectives, and the limited data currently available to create this guidance statement.

Interim Guidance on the Preparticipation Physical Examination for Athletes During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic.

The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) convened a writing group to address the current evidence and knowledge gaps regarding preparticipation evaluation of athletes during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The writing group held a series of meetings beginning in April 2020. The task force reviewed the available literature and used an iterative process and expert consensus to finalize this guidance statement that is intended to provide clinicians with a clinical framework to return athletes of all levels to training and competition during the pandemic. The statement is not intended to address treatment, infection control principles, or public health issues related to SARS-CoV-2. The AMSSM task force acknowledges the clinical uncertainty, evolving public health objectives, and the limited data currently available to create this guidance statement.

Sport-Related Concussion in Children and Adolescents.

Sport-related concussion is an important topic in nearly all sports and at all levels of sport for children and adolescents. Concussion knowledge and approaches to management have progressed since the American Academy of Pediatrics published its first clinical report on the subject in 2010. Concussion's definition, signs, and symptoms must be understood to diagnose it and rule out more severe intracranial injury. Pediatric health care providers should have a good understanding of diagnostic evaluation and initial management strategies. Effective management can aid recovery and potentially reduce the risk of long-term symptoms and complications. Because concussion symptoms often interfere with school, social life, family relationships, and athletics, a concussion may affect the emotional well-being of the injured athlete. Because every concussion has its own unique spectrum and severity of symptoms, individualized management is appropriate. The reduction, not necessarily elimination, of physical and cognitive activity is the mainstay of treatment. A full return to activity and/or sport is accomplished by using a stepwise program while evaluating for a return of symptoms. An understanding of prolonged symptoms and complications will help the pediatric health care provider know when to refer to a specialist. Additional research is needed in nearly all aspects of concussion in the young athlete. This report provides education on the current state of sport-related concussion knowledge, diagnosis, and management in children and adolescents.

Solid Organ Laceration in an Adolescent Soccer Player: A Case Report.

: Pediatric solid organ lacerations are a relatively uncommon but potentially dangerous injury that must be addressed urgently once recognized. Seen most often during recreational or team sports, they usually occur after a blunt or deceleration mechanism to the abdomen or flank. Depending on the severity of injury, solid organ laceration may not be immediately apparent clinically. This emphasizes the importance of sideline witnessing and evaluation, acting quickly once symptoms develop, and placing importance on safe sporting technique. In addition, management has changed over time to favor medical management for minor injuries, with laparotomy reserved for high-grade or hemodynamically unstable lacerations. Awareness of solid organ laceration in pediatric populations is more important than ever as they are beginning to appear in younger adolescents. Here we present a case of a 14-yr-old girl sustaining a grade IV liver laceration while playing contact team sports.

Reducing injury risk from body checking in boys' youth ice hockey.

Ice hockey is an increasingly popular sport that allows intentional collision in the form of body checking for males but not for females. There is a two- to threefold increased risk of all injury, severe injury, and concussion related to body checking at all levels of boys' youth ice hockey. The American Academy of Pediatrics reinforces the importance of stringent enforcement of rules to protect player safety as well as educational interventions to decrease unsafe tactics. To promote ice hockey as a lifelong recreational pursuit for boys, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the expansion of nonchecking programs and the restriction of body checking to elite levels of boys' youth ice hockey, starting no earlier than 15 years of age.

Pulmonary embolism in an adolescent soccer player: a case report.

Pulmonary emboli are potentially life threatening and are rare in the young, healthy, athletic population. We describe the presentation of pulmonary emboli in an otherwise healthy athlete; this has not been reported previously in the literature. A 16-yr-old male soccer player with no apparent risk factors presented in distress with bilateral pulmonary emboli. An extensive workup did not reveal a cause for this phenomenon. The patient was anticoagulated, and a Greenfield inferior vena cava filter was placed because of recurrent symptoms and poor compliance with anticoagulation. This case report illustrates the importance of considering pulmonary embolism as a diagnosis in athletes who present with sudden onset of dyspnea with no discernable cause. Greenfield filter placement in the management of these cases remains controversial.