NBA To Require Cardiac Screening
September 18, 2006 by Lei
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
The National Basketball Association (NBA) will be the first sports league starting next month to begin standardized cardiac screening.
The N.B.A.’s screening process will include a physical examination, blood work and three heart tests: an electrocardiogram, a resting echocardiogram and a stress echocardiogram. Players will also be asked to provide personal and family medical histories to determine predisposition to certain heart problems.
The tests will be administered annually and must be completed before a player can participate in training camp.
Last season, four NBA players needed heart surgery:
- Ronny Turiaf of the Los Angeles Lakers
- Fred Hoiberg of the Minnesota Timberwolves
- Zeljko Rebraca of the Los Angeles Clippers
- Robert Traylor, who last played for Cleveland in 2004-5
Jason Collier of the Atlanta Hawks died last October and at autopsy, he was found to have an enlarged heart. Around the same time, Eddy Curry was traded to the New York Knicks because he refused to take a genetic test for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. College basketball players have the same risk. Hank Gathers of Loyola Marymount died from sudden cardiac arrest as well.
Thorough physical exams for athletes performing at intense levels should not be overlooked.
New York Times, September 17, 2006
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