This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Death, cardiac arrest not rare during triathlons
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
The incidence of death or cardiac arrest during triathlons was 1.74 per 100,000 triathletes, with most being middle-aged and older men, according to findings published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
“According to data from USA Triathlon (USAT), the U.S. governing body for the sport, more than 3,200 sanctioned adult events involving more than 460,000 participants took place in 2015. However, over the years, the number of race-related fatalities has generated concern regarding athlete safety during this competitive sport,” Kevin M. Harris, MD, of the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, and colleagues wrote. “Previous preliminary reports suggested that triathlon may not be entirely safe.”
Harris and colleagues used data from USAT records and from the U.S. National Registry of Sudden Death in Athletes, which uses new media, internet searches, LexisNexis archival databases and news clipping services, from 1985 to 2016.
The researchers found 135 sudden deaths, resuscitated cardiac arrests and trauma-related deaths (mean age, 47 years; 85% men).
Most sudden deaths and cardiac arrests occurred in the swim segment (n = 90) compared with seven during bicycling, 15 during running, eight during postrace recovery and 15 trauma-related deaths during the bike segment.
Among 4,776,443 triathlon participants, incidence of death or cardiac arrest was 1.74 per 100,000. Among men, the rate was 2.4 per 100,000, whereas for women, it was 0.74 per 100,000 (P < .001).
Incidence for death or cardiac arrest increased to 18.6 per 100,000 participants for men aged 60 years or older. The rate was similar for different race lengths (short, 1.61 per 100,000 participants; intermediate, 1.41 per 100,000 participants; long, 1.92 per 100,000 participants).
Of those who had autopsies (n = 61), 44% had clinically relevant CV abnormalities, most often atherosclerotic coronary disease or cardiomyopathy.
“These pathologic findings raise the question of whether detection on preparticipation screening might have prevented these deaths,” the researchers wrote. “Future prudent efforts to reduce the number of swim-related fatalities should focus on targeted, robust, coordinated and practiced safety responses to identify distressed participants promptly, leading to timely cardiopulmonary resuscitation, defibrillation, airway management and advanced medical care. In addition, athletes should be educated and trained to prepare adequately for their event (especially the swim) in simulated race conditions and should be encouraged to do prerace warm-up swims and wear brightly colored swim caps to make them easier to recognize.” – by Cassie Homer
Disclosures: Harris reports no relevant financial disclosures. One author reports he receives personal fees from USAT.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts