Every year, stories emerge of seemingly fit and healthy young athletes suffering a sudden cardiac arrest while playing the sport they love. Whilst these incidents are rare, sport-related Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) remains the leading medical cause of death among adolescent and young adult athletes – and has a devastating impact on affected families, teammates and communities.

New research from Erik Vanegas Müller and Professor Mauricio Villarroel from The Podium Institute for Sports Medicine & Technology, working in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Oxford and University of Birmingham, highlights how emerging technologies could one day help identify those who are at risk sooner, and potentially save lives.

Research identified that 74% of SCD cases occur during exercise and 4.2% within an hour of exercise,  suggesting that sport can act as a trigger and there is a post-exercise risk window. 

Published in npj Digital Medicine, the A Systematic Review of Explainable Artificial Intelligence and Cardiac Electrophysiological Models Addressing Sports-Related Sudden Cardiac Death and Arrest in Adolescents and Young Adults analyses the latest evidence on how explainable artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced computer modelling can be used to better understand and detect the heart conditions that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest and sudden cardiac death in adolescents and young adults.

Moving from reaction to prevention

Although sport brings enormous physical and mental health benefits, it can occasionally reveal underlying heart conditions that have gone undetected. One of the biggest challenges for clinicians is identifying the small number of young people who may be at risk before a serious event occurs. 

This Systematic Review shows that new technologies could help. Researchers found growing interest in applying explainable AI (xAI) to identify potentially dangerous heart rhythm abnormalities, while advanced computer models can provide deeper insight into how and why life-threatening cardiac events occur.

‘Explainable AI’ is a version of AI that is designed to show how conclusions were reached, providing clear reasoning that clinicians can understand and analyse.

In the future, these tools could help medical professionals make more accurate assessments, improve screening programmes, support earlier intervention for those most at risk and drive more targeted and effective prevention strategies. Implementing this into the real world could help bringing confidence to those participating in sport – and their families – that potential warning signs have been identified.

Pictured above: Erik Vanegas Müller demonstrating CPR to Year 9 students as part of the ‘Restart a Heart’ initiative by The British Heart Foundation and South Central Ambulance Charity.

Tackling a global challenge

Drawing on evidence from 84 studies, the review also highlights important gaps in current knowledge. Researchers found significant differences in how sport-related SCD is defined and recorded around the world. This makes it difficult to compare findings across studies or build a clear picture of risk.

To improve identification of athletes at risk, the authors are calling for standardised definitions of sport-related SCD and greater consistency in reporting and data collection, which would help strengthen future research and accelerate progress towards more effective prevention.

Translating research into real-world impact

The Podium Institute is working to create a world with more sport and less injury, driving impact and improved interventions at every level of sport.

Erik Vanegas Müller, DPhil candidate at The Podium Institute and first author of the study, said: "I believe that our work as engineers in the medical field reaches its full potential only when it is built around the needs and knowledge of the clinicians closest to the patient.” 

Professor Mauricio Villarroel, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and senior author of the study, added: "One of the challenges for young and adolescent athletes is distinguishing between pathological changes from normal athletic and growth-related adaptations. Erik’s work highlights the opportunities to develop modern AI methods to stratify the risk of life-threatening cardiac events in young athletes. AI and cardiac electrophysiological models can be powerful diagnostic tools for uncovering disease mechanisms and risk factors, enabling better prevention and personalised treatments.”

About The Podium Institute 

The Podium Institute for Sports Medicine and Technology is the world’s first independent academic institute focused on the safety and lifelong health of youth and grassroots as well as professional athletes. Its purpose is to inspire and forge evidence-based changes in sport and physical education, and to develop innovative and scalable technologies to monitor, analyse and ultimately prevent sport injury across the 22 million adults and 3 million children who participate in sport annually across the UK, as well as the hundreds of millions who partake in amateur and professional sport internationally.

thepodiuminstitute.ox.ac.uk

About Podium Analytics

Podium Analytics is a registered charity (England, Wales and Scotland) with a vision to create a world with more sport and less injury. Founded by Sir Ron Dennis CBE, its mission is to significantly reduce the incidence and impact of sports injury, with a focus on youth and grassroot sport. Podium’s team is made up of hand-picked specialists with proven expertise in business, academia, science, technology and sport, who share in a sense of responsibility for shaping a safer legacy for sport.

SportSmart is the schools and clubs programme from Podium Analytics, which has been developed to support the on-the-ground needs of PE teachers and sports coaches. The programme includes tools, educational information and insights to prevent, monitor and manage injury – all while driving greater understanding of grassroots sport and trialling new protocols in the real world.

podiumanalytics.org