Physician adherence to 'Seattle' and 'International' ECG criteria in adolescent athletes: An analysis of compliance by specialty, experience, and practice environment.

Background: Screening electrocardiography (ECG) for athletes is both controversial and rapidly evolving. While identifying an abnormal ECG could detect a serious cardiovascular disease, falsely interpreting a benign ECG pattern as abnormal can lead to unnecessary testing, cost, and anxiety. Though recent refinements of athlete screening ECG criteria have significantly improved its accuracy, in clinical practice physician adherence to these criteria may vary.