American College of Physicians
The annual meeting of the American College of Physicians was held April 27 to 29 in San Diego and attracted participants from around the world, including internists, adult medicine specialists, subspecialists, medical students, and allied health professionals. The conference highlighted recent advances in the prevention, detection, and treatment of illnesses in adults, with presentations focusing primarily on updates in neurology, oncology, infectious diseases, endocrinology, and cardiology.
During one presentation, Michael S. Emery, M.D., of the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, discussed cardiovascular screening for athlete participation in sports.
Emery noted that sport is not a cause of enhanced mortality, but it can trigger sudden death in athletes who are affected by cardiovascular conditions predisposing to them to life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias during physical exercise. Guidelines for participation in sports with cardiovascular disease serve as a framework to discuss return to play and risk, but not as a mandate.
