Introduction: Eligibility recommendations for competitive athletes with cardiovascular abnormalities—general considerations

[...]the availability of a free-standing automatic external defibrillator at a sporting event should not be considered either as absolute protection against a sudden death event, a prospectively designed treatment strategy for athletes with known cardiovascular disease, or justification for participation in competitive sports that otherwise would be restricted owing to underlying cardiac abnormalities and the risk of life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias. [...]with the increased employment of the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) it is inevitable that increasing numbers of high-risk athletes with defibrillators will come to recognition.