Controversies in arrhythmias and arrhythmic syndromes of active children and young adults

Abstract

Important advances in the diagnosis and therapy of various arrhythmic disorders have been made in the last two decades. These, in turn, have necessitated a re-examination of current practice guidelines, with a view to deciding on optimal management of young patients with suspected or proven arrhythmia syndromes and in assessing the risk of adverse arrhythmic events during sport participation. There has also been a concomitant emphasis on identifying individuals at risk by nationwide screening programs using the ECG and excluding them from competitive sport. This review identifies some of these issues, looks at the data critically and offers some suggestions for current care and future research.

Keywords: ECG screening; ICD; Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome; catheter ablation; competitive sports; long QT syndrome.