Unit:
ΠΜΣ Καρδιοαναπνευστική ΑναζωογόνησηLibrary of the School of Health Sciences
Author:
Ioannidis Emmanouil
Supervisors info:
Νικολέττα Ιακωβίδου, Αναπληρώτρια Καθηγήτρια ,Ιατρική, ΕΚΠΑ
Θεόδωρος Ξάνθος, Καθηγητής, Ιατρική, Ευρωπαϊκό Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου
Ευαγγελία Κουσκούνη,Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική, ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Αιφνίδιος καρδιακός θάνατος σε μαζικούς αθλητικούς χώρους στην Ελλάδα, ασφάλεια αθλητών και θεατών
Translated title:
Sudden cardiac death in mass sports arenas in Greece, safety of athletes and spectators
Summary:
The increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest among athletes and spectators attending sport events poses challenges in terms of cardiovascular safety within large sports venues. The aim of the research is to evaluate the treatment plan and the prevention strategies in SCA incidents in professional national football clubs of 1 and 2 division of Greece for the period 2016-17. The purpose of the research is also to investigate the degree of compliance of the clubs with the recommendations of the European Society of Cardiology.
Telephone interviews were conducted with the medical directors of 27 national football teams in Greece on the basis of a questionnaire. The collection of questionnaires took place between November 2016 and June 2017. Subsequently, the estimated number of staff and equipment was calculated according to the capacity of the arenas and the degree of compliance was calculated. The data were grouped and analyzed.
In terms of compliance, significant deficiencies were observed at the stages of the two national categories without a statistically significant difference between them. The coverage of the required number of doctors was for League A 37.5% and for League B 54.5%. The coverage of the required number of nurses was 31.3% for League A and 54.5% for League B, while the required number of rescuers was for A League 25% and B League for 9%. Regarding the required number of defibrillators coverage was 63% for both categories. High compliance rates were observed in the coverage of the required number of ambulances (A-93.7% and B-100%).
Statistically significant differences were seen in the highest level of training of doctors in the CPR (p value 0.019), the higher frequency of presence of defibrillators near the football field (p value <0.001) and the longer presence of the medical personnel before (p value 0.003) and after (p value 0,005) the match for league A compared to league B.
In conclusion serious inadequacies are observed in the treatment and prevention of SCAs that mainly concern the safety of the spectators. Greek teams show low rates of compliance with ESC recommendations for proper prevention and treatment of SCA during matches. . Teams with smaller capacity stadiums show increased compliance with the coverage of the required number staff and equipment compared to teams with larger capacity stadiums. Adoption and implementation of ESC recommendations into the championship regulations may lead to improvements considering the safety of spectators as well as athletes by defining a mandatory framework for teams.
Main subject category:
Health Sciences
Keywords:
Sudden cardiac death, Cardiac arrest, Athletes, Spectators, Arenas
Number of references:
145
