Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death in Non-Competitive Athletes: ECG Screening by Telecardiology Is Useful and Cost-Effective

Martina Molinari; Tiziano Gabriele Costigliolo; Alberto Camerini; Gianpietro Spagna; Giuseppe Molinari

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajim.20231101.15

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Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death in Non-Competitive Athletes: ECG Screening by Telecardiology Is Useful and Cost-Effective

Martina Molinari, Tiziano Gabriele Costigliolo, Alberto Camerini, Gianpietro Spagna, Giuseppe Molinari

Published in American Journal of Internal Medicine (Volume 11, Issue 1)

Received: 26 February 2023 Accepted: 16 March 2023 Published: 24 March 2023

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Abstract

Background: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the leading cause of mortality in athletes during sport. There are several hereditary, structural, or electrical heart diseases associated with SCD, most of them can be identified or suggested by abnormalities on a resting 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG). Objective: To evaluate usefulness and cost-effectiveness of ECG screening, using a telecardiology system, in order to detect cardiovascular diseases that might cause SCD in a cohort of non-competitive athletes (NCA). Methods: ECGs received at the Telecardiology Center (Telemedico Srl, Genoa) for non-competitive sports, in a 3-month period were analyzed. According to the age we distinguished: NCA < 35 years (group A) and NCA > 35 years (group B). Results: A total of 6345 NCA (4078 males, 64.2%) were evaluated between the ages of 5 and 50 years (mean ± SD: 28.4 ± 12.6). Group A (age < 35 years) consisted of 3453 (54.4%) NCA and group B (age > 35 years) of 2892 (45.6%) respectively. An ECG pattern at risk of SCD has been identified in 295 (4.6%) subjects. Prevalence of ECG abnormalities was higher for group B (154/2892; 5.3%) than group A (141/3453; 4.1%); the difference was significant (p= 0.016). The average cost per ECG was € 12. The cost of ECG screening to identify a risk situation of SCD was € 258. Conclusion: ECG screening through telecardiology of NCA results to be feasible, useful and cost-effective.

Published in	American Journal of Internal Medicine (Volume 11, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajim.20231101.15
Page(s)	16-21
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Athletes, Telecardiology, ECG Screening, Sudden Cardiac Death

References

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Martina Molinari, Tiziano Gabriele Costigliolo, Alberto Camerini, Gianpietro Spagna, Giuseppe Molinari. (2023). Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death in Non-Competitive Athletes: ECG Screening by Telecardiology Is Useful and Cost-Effective. American Journal of Internal Medicine, 11(1), 16-21. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajim.20231101.15

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ACS Style

Martina Molinari; Tiziano Gabriele Costigliolo; Alberto Camerini; Gianpietro Spagna; Giuseppe Molinari. Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death in Non-Competitive Athletes: ECG Screening by Telecardiology Is Useful and Cost-Effective. Am. J. Intern. Med. 2023, 11(1), 16-21. doi: 10.11648/j.ajim.20231101.15

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AMA Style

Martina Molinari, Tiziano Gabriele Costigliolo, Alberto Camerini, Gianpietro Spagna, Giuseppe Molinari. Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death in Non-Competitive Athletes: ECG Screening by Telecardiology Is Useful and Cost-Effective. Am J Intern Med. 2023;11(1):16-21. doi: 10.11648/j.ajim.20231101.15

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@article{10.11648/j.ajim.20231101.15,
  author = {Martina Molinari and Tiziano Gabriele Costigliolo and Alberto Camerini and Gianpietro Spagna and Giuseppe Molinari},
  title = {Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death in Non-Competitive Athletes: ECG Screening by Telecardiology Is Useful and Cost-Effective},
  journal = {American Journal of Internal Medicine},
  volume = {11},
  number = {1},
  pages = {16-21},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajim.20231101.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajim.20231101.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajim.20231101.15},
  abstract = {Background: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the leading cause of mortality in athletes during sport. There are several hereditary, structural, or electrical heart diseases associated with SCD, most of them can be identified or suggested by abnormalities on a resting 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG). Objective: To evaluate usefulness and cost-effectiveness of ECG screening, using a telecardiology system, in order to detect cardiovascular diseases that might cause SCD in a cohort of non-competitive athletes (NCA). Methods: ECGs received at the Telecardiology Center (Telemedico Srl, Genoa) for non-competitive sports, in a 3-month period were analyzed. According to the age we distinguished: NCA  35 years (group B). Results: A total of 6345 NCA (4078 males, 64.2%) were evaluated between the ages of 5 and 50 years (mean ± SD: 28.4 ± 12.6). Group A (age  35 years) of 2892 (45.6%) respectively. An ECG pattern at risk of SCD has been identified in 295 (4.6%) subjects. Prevalence of ECG abnormalities was higher for group B (154/2892; 5.3%) than group A (141/3453; 4.1%); the difference was significant (p= 0.016). The average cost per ECG was € 12. The cost of ECG screening to identify a risk situation of SCD was € 258. Conclusion: ECG screening through telecardiology of NCA results to be feasible, useful and cost-effective.},
 year = {2023}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death in Non-Competitive Athletes: ECG Screening by Telecardiology Is Useful and Cost-Effective
AU  - Martina Molinari
AU  - Tiziano Gabriele Costigliolo
AU  - Alberto Camerini
AU  - Gianpietro Spagna
AU  - Giuseppe Molinari
Y1  - 2023/03/24
PY  - 2023
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajim.20231101.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajim.20231101.15
T2  - American Journal of Internal Medicine
JF  - American Journal of Internal Medicine
JO  - American Journal of Internal Medicine
SP  - 16
EP  - 21
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-4324
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajim.20231101.15
AB  - Background: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the leading cause of mortality in athletes during sport. There are several hereditary, structural, or electrical heart diseases associated with SCD, most of them can be identified or suggested by abnormalities on a resting 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG). Objective: To evaluate usefulness and cost-effectiveness of ECG screening, using a telecardiology system, in order to detect cardiovascular diseases that might cause SCD in a cohort of non-competitive athletes (NCA). Methods: ECGs received at the Telecardiology Center (Telemedico Srl, Genoa) for non-competitive sports, in a 3-month period were analyzed. According to the age we distinguished: NCA  35 years (group B). Results: A total of 6345 NCA (4078 males, 64.2%) were evaluated between the ages of 5 and 50 years (mean ± SD: 28.4 ± 12.6). Group A (age  35 years) of 2892 (45.6%) respectively. An ECG pattern at risk of SCD has been identified in 295 (4.6%) subjects. Prevalence of ECG abnormalities was higher for group B (154/2892; 5.3%) than group A (141/3453; 4.1%); the difference was significant (p= 0.016). The average cost per ECG was € 12. The cost of ECG screening to identify a risk situation of SCD was € 258. Conclusion: ECG screening through telecardiology of NCA results to be feasible, useful and cost-effective.
VL  - 11
IS  - 1
ER  -

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Author Information

Martina Molinari

Department of Cardiology, P. A. Micone Hospital-ASL3 Genovese, Genova, Italy
Tiziano Gabriele Costigliolo

Telemedico Srl-Telecardiology Center, Genova, Italy
Alberto Camerini

Department of Cardiology, P. A. Micone Hospital-ASL3 Genovese, Genova, Italy
Gianpietro Spagna

Cardiocalm Srl, Montichiari (BS), Italy
Giuseppe Molinari

Telemedico Srl-Telecardiology Center, Genova, Italy

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APA Style

Martina Molinari, Tiziano Gabriele Costigliolo, Alberto Camerini, Gianpietro Spagna, Giuseppe Molinari. (2023). Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death in Non-Competitive Athletes: ECG Screening by Telecardiology Is Useful and Cost-Effective. American Journal of Internal Medicine, 11(1), 16-21. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajim.20231101.15

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ACS Style

Martina Molinari; Tiziano Gabriele Costigliolo; Alberto Camerini; Gianpietro Spagna; Giuseppe Molinari. Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death in Non-Competitive Athletes: ECG Screening by Telecardiology Is Useful and Cost-Effective. Am. J. Intern. Med. 2023, 11(1), 16-21. doi: 10.11648/j.ajim.20231101.15

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AMA Style

Martina Molinari, Tiziano Gabriele Costigliolo, Alberto Camerini, Gianpietro Spagna, Giuseppe Molinari. Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death in Non-Competitive Athletes: ECG Screening by Telecardiology Is Useful and Cost-Effective. Am J Intern Med. 2023;11(1):16-21. doi: 10.11648/j.ajim.20231101.15

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ajim.20231101.15,
  author = {Martina Molinari and Tiziano Gabriele Costigliolo and Alberto Camerini and Gianpietro Spagna and Giuseppe Molinari},
  title = {Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death in Non-Competitive Athletes: ECG Screening by Telecardiology Is Useful and Cost-Effective},
  journal = {American Journal of Internal Medicine},
  volume = {11},
  number = {1},
  pages = {16-21},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajim.20231101.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajim.20231101.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajim.20231101.15},
  abstract = {Background: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the leading cause of mortality in athletes during sport. There are several hereditary, structural, or electrical heart diseases associated with SCD, most of them can be identified or suggested by abnormalities on a resting 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG). Objective: To evaluate usefulness and cost-effectiveness of ECG screening, using a telecardiology system, in order to detect cardiovascular diseases that might cause SCD in a cohort of non-competitive athletes (NCA). Methods: ECGs received at the Telecardiology Center (Telemedico Srl, Genoa) for non-competitive sports, in a 3-month period were analyzed. According to the age we distinguished: NCA  35 years (group B). Results: A total of 6345 NCA (4078 males, 64.2%) were evaluated between the ages of 5 and 50 years (mean ± SD: 28.4 ± 12.6). Group A (age  35 years) of 2892 (45.6%) respectively. An ECG pattern at risk of SCD has been identified in 295 (4.6%) subjects. Prevalence of ECG abnormalities was higher for group B (154/2892; 5.3%) than group A (141/3453; 4.1%); the difference was significant (p= 0.016). The average cost per ECG was € 12. The cost of ECG screening to identify a risk situation of SCD was € 258. Conclusion: ECG screening through telecardiology of NCA results to be feasible, useful and cost-effective.},
 year = {2023}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death in Non-Competitive Athletes: ECG Screening by Telecardiology Is Useful and Cost-Effective
AU  - Martina Molinari
AU  - Tiziano Gabriele Costigliolo
AU  - Alberto Camerini
AU  - Gianpietro Spagna
AU  - Giuseppe Molinari
Y1  - 2023/03/24
PY  - 2023
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajim.20231101.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajim.20231101.15
T2  - American Journal of Internal Medicine
JF  - American Journal of Internal Medicine
JO  - American Journal of Internal Medicine
SP  - 16
EP  - 21
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-4324
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajim.20231101.15
AB  - Background: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the leading cause of mortality in athletes during sport. There are several hereditary, structural, or electrical heart diseases associated with SCD, most of them can be identified or suggested by abnormalities on a resting 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG). Objective: To evaluate usefulness and cost-effectiveness of ECG screening, using a telecardiology system, in order to detect cardiovascular diseases that might cause SCD in a cohort of non-competitive athletes (NCA). Methods: ECGs received at the Telecardiology Center (Telemedico Srl, Genoa) for non-competitive sports, in a 3-month period were analyzed. According to the age we distinguished: NCA  35 years (group B). Results: A total of 6345 NCA (4078 males, 64.2%) were evaluated between the ages of 5 and 50 years (mean ± SD: 28.4 ± 12.6). Group A (age  35 years) of 2892 (45.6%) respectively. An ECG pattern at risk of SCD has been identified in 295 (4.6%) subjects. Prevalence of ECG abnormalities was higher for group B (154/2892; 5.3%) than group A (141/3453; 4.1%); the difference was significant (p= 0.016). The average cost per ECG was € 12. The cost of ECG screening to identify a risk situation of SCD was € 258. Conclusion: ECG screening through telecardiology of NCA results to be feasible, useful and cost-effective.
VL  - 11
IS  - 1
ER  -

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