Acute cardiac care & resuscitation
Medical Malpractice Claims for Sports Cardiology Cases Among Young Athletes
Authors' conclusion
Medical malpractice/negligence claims regarding cardiac cases in young competitive athletes in the United States were rare (<1 case/y), although the financial settlements were significant. This study supports ongoing efforts to improve emergency preparedness and the cardiac emergency medical response for young competitive athletes.
Study context
- Population
- Young competitive athletes aged 12 to 40 years (middle school, high school, competitive club, collegiate, semiprofessional/professional, or national/international level) in the United States who experienced SCA/D or had a diagnosis associated with SCA/D, in medical malpractice/negligence claimscases met inclusion criteria from 1978 to 2022
- Participants
- 35/586 athletes
- Outcome
- Case outcome
Methodological details4 search strategies, from inception to October 2024
- 4 search strategies
- From inception to October 2024
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Favorable plaintiff outcome or settlement
10 of 35
29%
Known settlements or awards range
$600,000 to $24,000,000
Favorable defendant outcome or dismissal
16 of 35
46%
Case outcome undisclosed/unknown
9 of 35
26%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Most common primary allegation
- Negligent emergency medical response
- 13/35, 37%
- Failure to diagnose cardiovascular disease
- 9/35, 26%
Original publication
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →