Sudden cardiac death in athletes is neither a new nor an isolated phenomenon. Historically, it mainly affects young athletes with a higher incidence as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In 2005, the Brazilian Society of Sports Medicine established the Guideline on Sudden Death in Exercise and Sports. The implementation of these recommendations by professional soccer clubs can contribute to early detection of risk and prevention of sudden cardiac death in these athletes. OBJECTIVE: To identify the adoption of protocols and routines by professional soccer clubs concerning the pre-participation evaluation of athletes and their suitability to the Guideline. METHOD: All professional football clubs in São Paulo, members of the São Paulo Soccer Federation, were evaluated through interviews with the doctor in charge of the Medical Department of each club, after the project has been approved by the Ethics in Research Committee and the subject under research provided his authorization. The answers were submitted to descriptive statistics and compared with the Guideline. RESULTS: No club fully adopts the tests suggested by the Guidelines; however, complete history and examination with focus on cardiovascular stress test and resting electrocardiogram are performed by all. Echocardiogram is performed by 82.5% of clubs. CONCLUSION: All clubs evaluated follow an institutional protocol that includes part of the recommendations of the Guideline. The integration between agencies responsible for sports in Brazil and private partnerships is suggested with the aim to reduce the effective cost of the examinations
soccer; cardiovascular diseases; physical exercises; physical examinations
