Weller Samantha L, Barat Masihullah, Weller Zachary, Phan Francis, Moulson Nathaniel, Churchill Timothy W, Harmon Kimberly G, Drezner Jonathan A, Baggish Aaron L, Masri Ahmad, Petek Bradley J
Department of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA.
Division of Cardiology, University of California-San Diego, San Diego, California, USA.
JACC Adv. 2025 Jun 30;4(8):101915. doi: 10.1016/j.jacadv.2025.101915.
Sudden cardiac arrest/death (SCA/D) is the leading medical cause of fatalities among young competitive athletes. Sports participation among athletes with cardiovascular disease has become more frequent, raising concerns regarding the medicolegal risk and adequacy of emergency medical response plans.
The purpose of this study was to analyze the frequency and characteristics of medical malpractice/negligence claims related to sports cardiology cases among young competitive athletes in the United States.
A comprehensive retrospective review of medical malpractice/negligence lawsuits from inception to October 2024 was performed using 4 search strategies. Cases involving young competitive athletes aged 12 to 40 years competing at the middle school, high school, competitive club, collegiate, semiprofessional/professional, or national/international level who experienced SCA/D or had a diagnosis associated with SCA/D were included. Medical malpractice/negligence case frequency, location, demographics, allegations, defendant profiles, and case outcomes/awards were identified.
A total of 35/586 (6%) cases met inclusion criteria from 1978 to 2022. There was a favorable plaintiff outcome or settlement in 10/35 (29%) cases with known settlements or awards ranging from $600,000 to $24,000,000; a favorable defendant outcome or dismissal in 16/35 (46%) cases; and the case outcome was undisclosed/unknown in 9/35 (26%) cases. The most common primary allegation for lawsuits was a negligent emergency medical response (13/35, 37%) followed by failure to diagnose cardiovascular disease (9/35, 26%).
Medical malpractice/negligence claims regarding cardiac cases in young competitive athletes in the United States were rare (<1 case/y), although the financial settlements were significant. This study supports ongoing efforts to improve emergency preparedness and the cardiac emergency medical response for young competitive athletes.
心脏骤停/心源性猝死（SCA/D）是年轻竞技运动员死亡的主要医学原因。患有心血管疾病的运动员参与体育活动变得更加频繁，这引发了对法医学风险和应急医疗响应计划充分性的担忧。
本研究的目的是分析美国年轻竞技运动员中与运动心脏病学病例相关的医疗事故/疏忽索赔的频率和特征。
采用4种检索策略，对从开始到2024年10月的医疗事故/疏忽诉讼进行了全面的回顾性研究。纳入的病例为年龄在12至40岁之间，在中学、高中、竞技俱乐部、大学、半职业/职业或国家/国际水平参加比赛，经历过SCA/D或有与SCA/D相关诊断的年轻竞技运动员。确定了医疗事故/疏忽案件的频率、地点、人口统计学、指控、被告概况以及案件结果/赔偿。
1978年至2022年期间，共有35/586（6%）例病例符合纳入标准。在10/35（29%）例已知和解或赔偿的案件中，原告获得了有利的结果或和解，赔偿金额从60万美元到2400万美元不等；16/35（46%）例案件中被告获得了有利的结果或驳回诉讼；9/35（26%）例案件的结果未公开/未知。诉讼中最常见的主要指控是应急医疗响应疏忽（13/35，37%），其次是未能诊断心血管疾病（9/35，26%）。
美国年轻竞技运动员心脏病例的医疗事故/疏忽索赔很少（每年<1例），尽管经济赔偿数额巨大。本研究支持为年轻竞技运动员改善应急准备和心脏急救医疗响应的持续努力。
