The Study
This study by Robert M. Malina, director of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University, summarizes three reports in the medical literature dealing with two categories of sudden death in young athletes: those due to trauma and those not associated with trauma. One study examined cardiac arrest in 25 children and youth 3 to 19 (1977-1995); the other two dealt with sudden death associated with vigorous exercise. 160 cases were involved in the 1995 study that examined deaths of high school and college athletes (13-24)between 1983 and 1993. The third study (1995), described the clinical profile of 134 athletes (12-40) who had cardiovascular causes of sudden death between 1985 and 1995. Implications were drawn and suggestions outlined for use by parents, coaches and youth sports administrators.

The Findings
The responsibility for sports safety needs to be shared among athletes, parents, coaches and sport organizations. Death in sport is tragic, but it is rare. All the young people who collapsed with cardiac arrest did so after receiving an unexpected blow to the chest; 16 of the 25 occurred in baseball; 16 deaths occurred in organized sports where 44% were wearing protective padding.

(Death may have been related to thinness of the chest wall.) Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (a pathological thickening of the walls of the left ventricle) and congenital anomalies of the blood vessels servicing the heart (the coronary arteries) were the chief contributors to sudden death from cardiovascular causes. The occurrence of non-traumatic sports death is rare. Many of those that occur are due to preventable circumstances: hyperthermia (excessive heat), electrocution due to lightening and those associated with asthma.

What It Means to You
Sudden deaths in young athletes, while rare, do occur. However school people, in concert with athletes and their parents can implement preventive procedures such as the following: 1) require a proper pre-participation physical examination, but recognize that this does not guarantee that cardiovascular problems will necessarily be identified; 2) take on field preventative measures (e.g., regular hydration of athletes, scheduling practices to avoid the hottest times of the day, being aware of lightening and thunderstorms in the area; 3) monitor athletes on the field (e.g., being aware of signs that particular athletes are having trouble); 4) have an emergency plan in place for practices and games (e.g., CPR training, location of telephone to call 911, etc.)

For More Information
Consult Malina, R.M., “Sudden Death in Young Athletes,” (Summer 1996), Spotlight on Youth Sports, Volume 19, Number 2, pages 1 & 2, Michigan State University.

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