Preparticipation cardiovascular screening among National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I institutions.

BACKGROUND: Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in competitive athletes during sport, and screening strategies for the prevention of sudden cardiac death are debated. The purpose of this study was to assess the incorporation of routine non-invasive cardiovascular screening (NICS), such as ECG or echocardiography, in Division I collegiate preparticipation examinations. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of current screening practices sent to the head athletic trainer of all National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I football programmes listed in the National Athletic Trainers' Association directory. RESULTS: Seventy-four of 116 (64%) programmes responded. Thirty-five of 74 (47%) of responding schools have incorporated routine NICS testing. ECG is the primary modality for NICS in 31 (42%) of schools, and 17 (49%) also utilise echocardiography. Sixty-four per cent of the programmes that do NICS routinely screen their athletes only once as incoming freshmen. Of institutions that do not conduct NICS, American Heart Association guidelines against routine NICS and cost were the most common reasons reported. CONCLUSIONS: While substantial debate exists regarding protocols for cardiovascular screening in athletes, nearly half of NCAA Division I football programmes in this study already incorporate NICS into their preparticipation screening programme. Additional research is needed to understand the impact of NICS in collegiate programmes.

Office-based ultrasound in sports medicine practice.

Increasing knowledge, interest, and visibility in the field of sports medicine has equipped clinicians in the field with a novel array of diagnostic and therapeutic options but has also provided a higher level of complexity in patient care. True understanding of the vast spectrum of radiographic technology available to the sports clinician has become more critical than ever. Advances particularly in the areas of magnetic resonance imaging, diagnostic office ultrasound, and 3-dimensional reconstruction computed tomography, as well as nuclear medicine, offer the clinician a myriad of diagnostic options in patient evaluation. As these advances accumulate, the challenge to optimize care, contain cost, and interpret the extensive data generated becomes even more difficult to manage. Improving technology, education, and application of office ultrasound offers an interesting new tool for the bedside evaluation in real time of dynamic motion and pathology of sports-related injuries. As studies continue to validate ultrasound's effectiveness in diagnosing injuries to the upper and lower extremities compared with more costly magnetic resonance imaging and more invasive exploratory surgery, its promise as a cost-effective diagnostic tool is growing. A particularly promising development in the care of sports injuries is the expansion of injection therapies, and in-office ultrasound provides assurance that prolotherapy, platelet-rich plasma, dry needling, corticosteroid, and viscosupplementation are delivered accurately and safely. Communication with patients continues to increase in complexity because a greater understanding of the presence of radiographic abnormalities irrelevant to the current complaint is gained. All the accumulated data must then be interpreted and communicated to the patient with a firm understanding of not only the patient history and physical examination but also the availability, indications, contraindications, sensitivity, specificity, and even the cost implications of the spectrum of diagnostic options.

Gastrointestinal temperature trends in football linemen during physical exertion under heat stress.

CONTEXT: Exertional heat stroke is the third leading cause of death in US athletes. Elevations in core temperature in the digestive tract (TGI) have correlated with core temperature and are possible indicators of those at increased risk of heat stroke. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective was to compare a.m. vs. p.m. TGI variation in collegiate football linemen during intense "two-a-day" preseason practice. A secondary objective was to compare longitudinal TGI in offensive and defensive linemen. DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study. SETTING: Division I Intercollegiate Athletics Football Program. INTERVENTIONS: TGI was monitored during consecutive preseason sessions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: TGI, heat illness, weight changes, environmental stress, and subjective symptoms. RESULTS: Mean TGI were 37.8°C and 38.3°C during a.m. and p.m. practices, respectively. The a.m. practices revealed higher TGI gain (1.8°C) compared to p.m. (1.4°C). The p.m. practices had higher maximum TGI than a.m. practices (39.1°C versus 38.8, P=0.0001). Mean time to maximum temperature (Tmax) was 1 hr and 30 min for a.m. and 1 hr and 22 min for p.m. practices. Offensive linemen trended toward higher mean TGI than defensive players (38.0°C vs. 36.7°C, P = 0.069). The rate of rise in TGI was significantly greater in a.m. practices. A decrease in rate of TGI rise was seen from the first to last a.m. practices of the week (P = 0.004). CONCLUSION: Significant TGI elevations in asymptomatic athletes are common in extreme heat during football practice. Intense a.m. practices in full gear result in higher net temperature gain and rate of temperature gain than p.m. practices. Offensive linemen trended toward higher TGI than defensive linemen. As players acclimatized, a decrease in the rate of TGI increase was appreciable, particularly in a.m. practices. Appreciating cumulative heat stress and variations in heat stress related to scheduling of practice is critical.

Imaging in sports medicine: an overview.

Increasing sports participation, and the inevitable sports injury, is a significant contributor to total healthcare expenditure in the United States. With sports-related injury ever increasing, and technology rapidly expanding in the areas of diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal trauma, a continual revisiting of the latest in technology is critical for the sports physician. Advances particularly in the areas of magnetic resonance imaging, diagnostic office ultrasound, and 3-dimensional reconstruction computed tomography, offer the clinician a myriad of diagnostic options in patient evaluation. Care must be exercised, however, as one pursues additional radiographic data in the patient care arena. The information must be interpreted with a firm foundation and understanding of not only the patient history and physical examination, but also the availability, indications, contraindications, sensitivity, specificity, and even the cost implications of the great spectrum of diagnostic options.

Return to activity considerations in a football player predisposed to exertional heat illness: a case study.

CONTEXT: Heat illness is the third leading cause of death in athletics and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in exercising athletes. Once faced with a case of heat related illness, severe or mild, the health care professional is often faced with the question of when to reactivate the athlete for competitive sport. Resuming activity without modifying risk factors could lead to recurrence of heat related illness of similar or greater severity. Also, having had heat illness in and of itself may be a risk factor for future heat related illness. The decision to return the athlete and the process of risk reduction is complex and requires input from all of the components of the team. Involving the entire sports medicine team often allows for the safest, most successful return to play strategy. Care must be taken once the athlete does begin to return to activity to allow for re-acclimatization to exercise in the heat prior to resumption particularly following a long convalescent period after more severe heat related illness.