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Press Release
14 December 2010
Cardiac Screening
The GAA’s Medical Scientific & Welfare Committee today announced
an update to its position paper on Cardiac screening following the
completion of a two year research programme in which nearly 300
GAA players were examined in an attempt to assess the effectiveness
of various screening methods.
Following consideration of the results of the programme and the most
up to date international best practice guidelines, the GAA have
advised that the most effective way to identify risk is for players over
the age of 14 to undergo cardiac screening on one occasion. It is also
advised that this process be repeated before the age of 25. Players
should consult their team or family doctor if they wish to get screened
and screening should consist of completion of the GAA’s Cardiac
Screening Questionnaire, a Physical Examination and an ECG.
The Chairman of the GAA’s Medical, Scientific and Welfare
Committee, Dr Danny Mulvihill said: “The instance of Sudden Cardiac
Death in the general populace under 35 is a rare occurrence and
remains very difficult to predict. The study we undertook would indicate
that cardiac screening along the lines we have suggested is the best
predictor of potential risk.” He added that while no screening
programme is 100% effective, it has been shown to help in identifying
risk in the general populace. Dr Mulvihill also welcomed the recent
report of the National Taskforce on Sudden Cardiac Death which had
found that less than 1 in 10 of all instances of the condition occurred
while under exertion such as playing football or hurling.
The GAA’s defibrillator programme – initiated in 2005 – has seen
defibrillators made available in all county grounds as well as over 1000
defibrillators being purchased by clubs as part of a subsidized scheme
set up by the Association and administered by its Player Welfare
Office. Clubs who wish to purchase defibrillators can do so by
contacting Stephen Browne ([email protected] or 01 8658685)
The Medical Committee today also announced details of a new
initiative being rolled out in association with the G.P.A. which will
assist doctors in interpreting ECG’s. Dr Muvihill explained:
“Interpretation of ECG’s in athletes can present difficulties and where
difficulties arise, the GAA in conjunction with the Gaelic Players
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Association (GPA) have implemented a programme whereby any
doctors carrying out a cardiac screening programme for a GAA player
will be able to send that ECG to the cardiac department in the Mater
under Dr. Joseph Galvin to have a sports cardiology opinion on the
ECG.” He said that the availability of such a facility should prove
extremely beneficial in assisting diagnosis.
The project will be funded as part of the player welfare initiatives being
rolled out by the G.P.A in association with the G.A.A and follow similar
initiatives undertaken in this area by the GAA including and training
initiatives for club members, officers and match officials.
GAA Injury Database
The Medical, Scientific and Welfare Committee also presented some
findings from the GAA’s Injury database today. The database, under
the direction of Mr John C Murphy of the MSW Committee and Dr
Catherine Blake and Ms Edwenia O Malley of the UCD School of
Public Health, Physiotherapy and Population Science, has tracked
injury data from 17 inter county Gaelic Football and 16 Inter county
hurling teams since it was established in 2007.
The database shows that the most common injuries sustained in
Gaelic games are;
a) Hamstring (football: 18.2% of all injuries, hurling: 16.5%)
b) Knee (11.6% of injuries – both codes)
c) Pelvis & Groin (football: 9.4% of all injuries, hurling:
10.4%)
d) Ankle (9% of all injuries – both codes)
e) Shoulder (football: 6.8% of all injuries, hurling: 6%)
f) Wrist & Hand (football: 4.2% of all injuries, hurling:
10.3%)
Mr Murphy said he was satisfied that the database showed the
instance of injury in Gaelic games to be largely in line with that
experienced in field sports of a similar nature such as Australian Rules
football. He said that among the results that would be of particular
interest to the GAA and the medical community were :
o That recurrent injuries generally require significantly longer
recovery periods (typical “return to play” time for a new
hamstring injury is 18.5 days [football] or 16.5 days [hurling];
this rises to 41 days (f) and 30.5 days (h) for a recurrent injury)
o That in terms of playing time lost, the Anterior Cruciate ligament
Injury (ACL) is the most severe
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o That a typical intercounty panel spends on average
approximately 13 hours in collective training for every 1 hour of
competitive game time.
o That footballers are three times more likely to be concussed
during a game than hurlers.
On the issue of concussion, Mr Murphy said that while the instance in
Gaelic games was largely consistent with that experienced in
Australian Rules football, it was important that players, managers and
coaches become more aware of what concussion is, its symptoms and
signs, the possible side effects and the guidelines with respect to
returning to play. He said the GAA’s Medical, Scientific & Welfare
Committee would be actively working with in the coming months to
generate greater awareness around concussion in sport. The GAA’s
own position paper on Concussion and various other injuries can be
viewed at http://www.gaa.ie/medical-and-player-welfare/injuries/typesof-injury/
Mr Murphy said it was obvious from the statistics on recurrent injuries
that allowing significant time for recovery and proper rehabilitation
could have major beneficial effects for players in the long term,
particularly in relation to hamstring and groin injuries. He said the AFL
had managed to halve their instance of recurrence from between 1997
and 2009, and he added that through better education and greater
awareness among players, coaches and managers, there was no
reason why the current GAA injury recurrence rates within the same
season of 18.2% (football) and 12.8% (hurling) could not be
significantly reduced.
Other information gleaned from the database and presented today
included:
o The age group most at risk of sustaining injury are those who
are 30+ (football: 1.17 injuries per player, hurling: 1.24 injuries
per player)
o Those in the 18-20 year bracket are least likely to sustain injury
(football:
0.64 injuries per player; hurling: 0.73 injuries per player).
o Approximately 2/3’s of all hamstring injuries in Gaelic football
occur in the 2nd half of games
The members of the GAA’s Medical, Scientific & Welfare Committee
are Dr Danny Mulvihill (Chairman), Professor Niall Moyna, Dr Pat
Duggan, Dr Pat O'Neill, Dr Philip Carolan, Dr Rod McLoughlin, Ronan
Carolan, James Sherry, John Murphy, Dr Matt Conran, Feargal Mc
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Gill, Mr Cliff Beirne, John Conran, Paul Kelly and Stephen Browne
(Secretary, Croke Park). Former member and Kilkenny team doctor,
Dr Tadhg Crowley also played a key role in the development of GAA
policy on cardiac screening.