American Medical Society for Sports Medicine
For Immediate Release Jan 19, 2017

International Organizations Endorse AMSSM Position Statement on Cardiovascular Screening

Leawood, KS – Multiple international medical societies have endorsed the AMSSM Position Statement on Cardiovascular Preparticipation Screening in Athletes: Current Evidence, Knowledge Gaps, Recommendations and Future Directions.

The position statement appears in the February 2017 edition of the British Journal of Sports Medicine and presents several new paradigm shifts in our thinking about cardiovascular screening in athletes. It represents a reassessment of our current standard, recognition of the differential risk of sudden cardiac arrest and death (SCA/D) in different athlete populations, a new framework to assist physicians when considering a screening ECG and respect for physician autonomy to choose the most appropriate screening strategy. Developed by an expert panel of primary care sports medicine physicians representing all perspectives on cardiovascular screening, the statement provides a balanced assessment of the current evidence and knowledge gaps regarding cardiovascular screening in athletes. The position statement was previously published in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine and Current Sports Medicine Reports.

Following its release, AMSSM’s position statement has been endorsed by the following international medical societies:

• British Association for Sports and Exercise Medicine
• Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine
• European College of Sports and Exercise Physicians
• South African Sports Medicine Association
• Sports Doctors Australia
• Swiss Sports Medicine Society

“This is a wonderful credit to the work of the writing group and our proposed framework regarding the primary considerations for choosing a cardiovascular screening strategy,” said Jonathan Drezner, MD, lead author and co-chair of the statement and an AMSSM Past President. Fran O’Connor, MD, MPH, an AMSSM Past President, served as co-chair of the statement.

The position statement can be viewed by visiting the AMSSM website, http://www.amssm.org/Publications.html.

About the AMSSM: AMSSM is a multi-disciplinary organization of sports medicine physicians dedicated to education, research, advocacy and the care of athletes of all ages. The majority of AMSSM members are primary care physicians with fellowship training and added qualification in sports medicine who then combine their practice of sports medicine with their primary specialty. AMSSM includes members who specialize solely in non-surgical sports medicine and serve as team physicians at the youth level, NCAA, NFL, MLB, NBA, WNBA, MLS and NHL, as well as with Olympic teams. By nature of their training and experience, sports medicine physicians are ideally suited to provide comprehensive medical care for athletes, sports teams or active individuals who are simply looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle. www.amssm.org.