title: Screening high school students in Italy for sudden cardiac death prevention by using a telecardiology device: a retrospective observational study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In 2010, an Italian project was launched aimed at using a telecardiology device in order to perform early diagnosis of young students at risk of sudden cardiac death.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our retrospective observational study was conducted on a population of 13,016 students, aged between 16 and 19 years, in different Italian regions. It consisted of analysis of data recorded during a telecardiology pilot study. The recorded data were electrocardiograms and data concerning lifestyle habits and family history of cardiovascular diseases. In total, 14 alterations in the electrocardiogram signal have been considered in this study. Some of these alterations are as follows: ventricular ectopic beats, atrioventricular block, Brugada-like electrocardiogram pattern, left anterior/posterior fascicular block, left/right ventricular hypertrophy, long/short QT interval, left atrial enlargement, right atrial enlargement, short PQ interval, and ventricular pre-excitation Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. On the basis of the collected data, we implemented this retrospective observational study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analysed data showed that 13.60% of students had a family history for cardiovascular diseases, 22.43% reported smoking habits, 26.23% reported alcohol consumption, and 7.24% reported abuse of drugs. A total of 24% of students had at least one of the 14 electrocardiogram pathological alterations considered in our study and 32% had electrocardiogram values within the normal range.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This retrospective observational study analysed data registered during our telecardiology activity. This activity permitted to maximise data collection and minimise the costs for collecting such data. This activity of screening is being continued and in the next few years it will allow us to have a greater mass of data.
authors.affiliation: 1CNR,Institute of Clinical Physiology,U.O.S. of Rome,Via S. Martino della Battaglia,Rome,Italy.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Lazzari
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Nephrological, Anaesthesiological and Geriatric Sciences,"Sapienza" University,Viale del Policlinico,Rome,Italy.
authors.forename: Igino
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Genuini
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Nephrological, Anaesthesiological and Geriatric Sciences,"Sapienza" University,Viale del Policlinico,Rome,Italy.
authors.forename: Maria C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Gatto
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Nephrological, Anaesthesiological and Geriatric Sciences,"Sapienza" University,Viale del Policlinico,Rome,Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cinque
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Nephrological, Anaesthesiological and Geriatric Sciences,"Sapienza" University,Viale del Policlinico,Rome,Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mancone
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Nephrological, Anaesthesiological and Geriatric Sciences,"Sapienza" University,Viale del Policlinico,Rome,Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Ambrosi
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Nephrological, Anaesthesiological and Geriatric Sciences,"Sapienza" University,Viale del Policlinico,Rome,Italy.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Silvetti
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Nephrological, Anaesthesiological and Geriatric Sciences,"Sapienza" University,Viale del Policlinico,Rome,Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fusto
authors.affiliation: 4CNR,Institute of Cognitive Science and Technologies,Via Nomentana,Rome,Italy.
authors.forename: Domenico M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Pisanelli
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Nephrological, Anaesthesiological and Geriatric Sciences,"Sapienza" University,Viale del Policlinico,Rome,Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fedele
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Telemedicine; screening; sudden cardiac death; telecardiology