Acute cardiac care & resuscitationCohort study
Survival Outcomes After Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Young Competitive Athletes From the United States
- Observational study
- longitudinal surveillance
Authors' conclusion
Although survival from SCA among young competitive athletes in the United States has improved in the last decade, important racial disparities in outcomes were observed
Study context
- Population
- Young competitive athletes (≥11 years; middle school to professional, and former athletes within 1 year) with sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) during exercise, rest or sleep, US, July 2014–June 2023
- Participants
- 641 athletes
- Outcome
- Survival from SCA
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Overall survival
49% (315 of 641)
Survival from SCA during exercise
57% (275 of 481)
Overall survival increased over the study period (range 30%-66% per academic year)
P = 0.007
Survival from exertional SCA increased over the study period (range 38%-72% per academic year)
P = 0.03
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Survival from SCA by race and exertional status
| Comparison | RR (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black race · adjusted for sex and level of competition | 0.63 (0.53–0.76) | ||
| Other race · adjusted for sex and level of competition | 0.69 (0.50–0.94) | ||
| Nonexertional SCA · adjusted for sex and level of competition | 0.43 (0.32–0.59) | ||
| 0.20.5125Relative risk (log scale) |
| Outcome | Values | Estimate | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survival from exertional SCA, game/competition vs practice/training | Game/competition 70% · Practice/training 53% | P = 0.001 |
Original publication
Survival Outcomes After Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Young Competitive Athletes From the United States. J Am Coll Cardiol. Published 30 March 2025. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2025.03.006
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it