Meity Ardiana, MD, PhD, FIHA, FAsCC – Lecturer & Medic, Department of Cardiology and Vascular Medicine, Airlangga University, Surabaya, Indonesia

Series: Cardiology Research and Clinical Developments; Sports and Athletics Preparation, Performance, and Psychology
BISAC: MED010000; MED084000; MED076000
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52305/ILQJ1544

Book Review
“A practical and evidence-based guide for clinicians, sports physicians, coaches, and healthcare professionals involved in protecting athlete cardiovascular health. This comprehensive volume examines the critical role of cardiovascular screening in athletes, with a particular focus on identifying hidden cardiac conditions that may predispose individuals to sudden cardiac death during exercise. Combining current scientific evidence with clinical insight, the book provides a structured approach to understanding cardiovascular adaptation, risk stratification, diagnostic evaluation, and prevention strategies in both competitive and recreational athletes. Beginning with the physiology of cardiovascular response to exercise, the book explains how the athlete’s heart adapts to endurance and strength training, while carefully distinguishing physiological remodeling from potentially dangerous pathology. It then explores major cardiovascular risks in athletes, including inherited cardiomyopathies, coronary artery anomalies, arrhythmogenic disorders, hypertension, valvular heart disease, and coronary artery disease in older athletes. A major strength of this work lies in its practical discussion of screening tools, including medical history, physical examination, electrocardiography, echocardiography, cardiac stress testing, and multimodal imaging. The book highlights both the benefits and limitations of ECG screening, including its value in detecting cardiomyopathies and electrical disorders associated with sudden cardiac death, while also acknowledging challenges such as false-positive results and resource considerations. The chapters on echocardiography, stress testing, cardiac MRI, CT, SPECT, and exercise stress echocardiography provide a modern diagnostic framework for differentiating athlete’s heart from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, left ventricular non-compaction, myocarditis, and coronary abnormalities. This makes the book especially valuable for clinicians who must balance athlete safety with the need to avoid unnecessary restriction from sports participation. Clear, clinically oriented, and highly relevant to contemporary sports cardiology, Screening in Athletes emphasizes that cardiovascular screening should not be viewed as a barrier to sport, but as a proactive strategy to support safe, sustainable, and high-performance athletic participation. Its central message is powerful: early detection saves lives, and structured cardiovascular evaluation can prevent avoidable tragedies on the field.” – Abdul Halim Raynaldo, MD, FIHA, FAPSC

This book provides a comprehensive, evidence-based overview of cardiovascular screening in athletes, integrating contemporary scientific knowledge, international guidelines, and practical clinical considerations. Sudden cardiac death in athletes, although rare, remains a critical public health concern, underscoring the need for accurate and systematic pre-participation evaluation. This volume critically examines the physiological adaptations of the athletic heart, differentiates benign training-related changes from pathological conditions, and highlights diagnostic challenges encountered in daily practice. The book discusses structured approaches to athlete screening, including clinical history, physical examination, electrocardiography, and advanced cardiovascular imaging. Emphasis is placed on guideline-directed interpretation of findings, risk stratification, and decision-making regarding sports eligibility. Special attention is given to inherited cardiomyopathies, channelopathies, and acquired cardiovascular disorders relevant to competitive and recreational athletes. By combining current evidence with practical algorithms, this book aims to bridge the gap between sports cardiology research and real-world clinical application. It is intended for cardiologists, sports medicine physicians, general practitioners, and trainees seeking a clear, systematic, and scientifically rigorous resource on cardiovascular screening and risk assessment in athletic populations.