Pre-competition medical assessment of athletes experience in Libya

International Conference on Sports Medicine and Fitness

March 23-25, 2015 Chicago, USA

Salaheddin Sharif

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Sports Med Doping Stud

Abstract :

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the most common cause of death in athletes and may result from undiagnosed cardiovascular diseases. Pre-participation screening has been generally approved to identify those athletes at risk of SCD; however, there is no single commonly adopted protocol to screen athletes. Although the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) support the routine pre-participation screening of athletes to prevent SCD, there is considerable disagreement regarding the guidelines of the protocols used. The AHA protocol includes a detailed medical history and a physical examination, whereas the ESC protocol includes a detailed medical history, a physical examination and 12 lead ECG assessments. The cost benefit of using 12 lead ECG is arguable, especially if the screening is used to prevent SCD associated with rare diseases. The Libyan Football Federation established a new protocol for seasonal pre-competition screening for their athletes during the 2013-2014 seasons. The protocol, which was arguable because of costs, included a medical history, physical examination, 12 lead ECG, echocardiography and blood test. In conclusion, regardless of cost and differences in protocol, there is a significant value in pre-competition screening for athletes in order to decrease the incidence of SCD.

Biography :

Salaheddin Sharif has completed his MBCHB, MD from Arab Medical University, Libya, general surgery residency at University Teaching Hospital, and MS in clinical exercise physiology from West Virginia University, USA. He is a sport medicine physician for the Libyan Football Federation in Benghazi, Libya and a registered clinical exercise physiologist at American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). He is a Lecturer in the Physiology Department at the University of Benghazi, School of Medicine in Libya. His focus is pre-participation screening of athletes, functional assessment, cardiopulmonary rehab, weight management, sports nutrition, and injury prevention. He includes sports as essential part of his life and has earned a black belt from the International Karate Organization Kyokushin Kaikan â?? I.K.O Matsushima.