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Sudden Cardiac Death in Athletes: Scope of the Problem and Emergency Response

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Sports Cardiology Essentials

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Abstract

Exceeding 300,000 cases annually, sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the leading cause of death in the United StatesUSA [1, 2]. [1, 2] SCD is also the leading cause of death in athletes [3].[ 3] Defined as occurring within one 1 hour of participation in sports [4],[4] exercise-related SCD occurs in 1-5 one to five cases per one million athletes per year. Of the approximately 25 million competitive athletes in the USAUnited States, there are 25-125 documented cases of SCD per year, likely a significant underestimation.[5].

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family Medicine, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA

    Eric E. Coris

  2. Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA

    Eric E. Coris

Authors
  1. Eric E. Coris
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  2. Steve Walz
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  3. Anne B. Curtis
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  4. Frances Sahebzamani
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  5. Kira Zwygart
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eric E. Coris .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Sports Cardiology Consultants, LLC, Chicago, 60654, Illinois, USA

    Christine E. Lawless

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Coris, E.E., Walz, S., Curtis, A.B., Sahebzamani, F., Zwygart, K. (2011). Sudden Cardiac Death in Athletes: Scope of the Problem and Emergency Response. In: Lawless, C. (eds) Sports Cardiology Essentials. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-92775-6_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-92775-6_1

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