 |
|
CLINICIAN’S CORNER
Medical and Legal Issues in the Cardiovascular Evaluation of Competitive Athletes
Timothy E. Paterick, MD, JD;
Timothy J. Paterick;
Gerald F. Fletcher, MD;
Barry J. Maron, MD
JAMA. 2005;294:3011-3018.
Healthy-appearing competitive athletes may harbor unsuspected cardiovascular disease with the potential to cause sudden death. This fact raises issues of physician responsibility in preparticipation screening and eligibility/disqualification decisions. A number of medical-legal cases now represent a framework for screening and eligibility decision making in high school and college athletes. Physicians screening competitive athletes should strictly adhere to recommendations from the American Heart Association. Precedent exists for disqualifying athletes with heart disease from competition to prevent unnecessary exposure to risk of injury or death. By virtue of the court decision in Larkin v Archdiocese of Cincinnati, high school students with heart disease have no compelling right to participate in interscholastic sports without medical clearance. In Knapp v Northwestern University, an appellate court ruled that college athletes can be medically disqualified from sports and supported the use of national association medical guidelines by team physicians in formulating eligibility/disqualification decisions. This medical-legal analysis provides guidelines for physicians participating in medical evaluations of competitive athletes by clarifying the standard of care, potential pitfalls, and the evolving liability associated with this clinical practice.
Author Affiliations: Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla (Drs T. E. Paterick and Fletcher); and the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center, Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, Minneapolis, Minn (Dr Maron). Mr Timothy J. Paterick is an undergraduate student at Richmond University, Richmond, Va.
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES
|
Natural and traumatic sports-related fatalities: a 10-year retrospective study
Turk et al.
Br. J. Sports. Med. 2008;42:604-608.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Preparticipation medical evaluation in professional sport in the UK: theory or practice?
Fuller et al.
Br. J. Sports. Med. 2007;41:890-896.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Electrocardiograms Should Be Included in Preparticipation Screening of Athletes
Myerburg and Vetter
Circulation 2007;116:2616-2626.
FULL TEXT
Screening athletes for heart disease
Crawford
Heart 2007;93:875-879.
FULL TEXT
Recommendations and Considerations Related to Preparticipation Screening for Cardiovascular Abnormalities in Competitive Athletes: 2007 Update: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism: Endorsed by the American College of Cardiology Foundation
Maron et al.
Circulation 2007;115:1643-1655.
FULL TEXT
The Heart of Trained Athletes: Cardiac Remodeling and the Risks of Sports, Including Sudden Death
Maron and Pelliccia
Circulation 2006;114:1633-1644.
FULL TEXT
Brief communication: Cardiovascular screening practices of major North American professional sports teams.
Harris et al.
ANN INTERN MED 2006;145:507-511.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
|
