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British Cycling to introduce mandatory heart tests for athletes under its careTeam GB men's team pursuit on way to gold at Rio Olympics 2016 (copyright Britishcycling.org_.uk).jpg

British Cycling to introduce mandatory heart tests for athletes under its care

Annual ECGs on the cards for riders within the system
by Simon_MacMichael
Sun, Dec 02, 2018 20:00
8

British Cycling is reportedly set to introduce mandatory heart tests for athletes under its care.

According to Sky News, all riders from academy through to elite level will have an electrocardiogram (ECG) and heart scan each year to determine how much they are at risk of a sudden cardiac arrest.

Sky News reports that academics from Liverpool John Moores University will be scanning athletes as part of its research.

Cardiologist Professor John Somauroo said: "We know there are high profile athletes having cardiac arrests.”

Ringing an alarm bell, he said: "But equally unfortunately there are about current thinking around 12 young athletes between the ages of 14 and 35 per week dropping dead in Britain.

"And in fact that's relatively old data and the newer data suggests that it's at least 20 young people if not even higher that are having those events per week.

"If you were to have a bus load of kids crashing into a low bridge every week and half the children were killed.

"They'd do something about the bridges or the bus routes," he added.

British Cycling
Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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madcarew | 5 years ago
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The surgeon's figures and analogy are way off beam. 12 -15 children don't die a week because of SCD. 12-15 people aged from 1 yr old to 35 yr old do. Only about one a month of these are 'athletes' ('Young' who compete in and train in their sport on more than 3 days a week, or for more than 6 hours a week). The actual incidence of SCD in young athletes is 1-3 per 100,000 young athletes. The truth is that about 6 children (age 1 yr to 18 yr) a year die in UK during athletic activity due to SCD.

The italian experience is that screening may cut this to about 2. This raises obvious questions about value for publicly spent funds.

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mustgettaller replied to madcarew | 5 years ago
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madcarew wrote:

The surgeon's figures and analogy are way off beam. 12 -15 children don't die a week because of SCD. 12-15 people aged from 1 yr old to 35 yr old do. Only about one a month of these are 'athletes' ('Young' who compete in and train in their sport on more than 3 days a week, or for more than 6 hours a week). The actual incidence of SCD in young athletes is 1-3 per 100,000 young athletes. The truth is that about 6 children (age 1 yr to 18 yr) a year die in UK during athletic activity due to SCD.

The italian experience is that screening may cut this to about 2. This raises obvious questions about value for publicly spent funds.

A very good point. As one who has benefitted from the screening (vicariously - my daughter's had it done), I'm glad it has been done.

However, the cost/benefit is not good when you examine the statistics. This is an ongoing problem with perceptions on medical screening (many people don't understand the stats involved).

There is, of course the personal perception which is massively skewed if your screening catches a problem. For you it's massively worth it.

I think the figures you quote underpin the NHS standpoint that this is not available generally on the NHS unless there is a family history or other reason to test - without these pre-conditions, the stats don't justify the screening (i.e. mass population screening).

c-r-y provide their screening outside the NHS for those who decide to have it done.

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madcarew | 5 years ago
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"Suprised that this isn't already a thing given the extreme nature of pushing the heart to its max regularly."

What is 'extreme' about pushing the heart to its max regularly? It has been shown to be exceptionally good for the individual in almost all health markers to engage in regular, very vigorous exercise. It has been shown over time to lead to changes in heart muscle, but these are generally benign. The view that it is 'extreme to push the heart to it's max' is entirely subjective, with little science to support that view.

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BehindTheBikesheds | 5 years ago
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Suprised that this isn't already a thing given the extreme nature of pushing the heart to its max regularly.

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Drinfinity | 5 years ago
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We make our riders and parents aware of this:

https://www.c-r-y.org.uk

 

 

 

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mustgettaller replied to Drinfinity | 5 years ago
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Drinfinity wrote:

We make our riders and parents aware of this:

https://www.c-r-y.org.uk

Great to publicise this.

One of our daughter's school associates died unexpectedly from an undiagnosed heart condition, aged 22.

Luckily as an elite sailor, our daughter has been tested through the RYA. But very well worth all young people being tested if possible.

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hawkinspeter | 5 years ago
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Sounds like a good idea to me and maybe all sports/athletes should have access to this kind of check-up.

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CygnusX1 | 5 years ago
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Seems like a sensible piece of safeguarding, although the school bus analogy wasn't quite right - I would look at the drivers before investigating the bridges or the route.

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