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AI-DRAFTED — PHYSICIAN REVIEW IN PROGRESSThe citation for this entry was checked against Crossref and PubMed, but its summary and interpretation were drafted by an AI model from the published abstract and have not yet been individually read by a physician. Read the linked source before relying on this operationally.
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Cardiovascular Disease and Triathlon-Related Deaths in the United Kingdom[1]

Windsor JS, Newman J, Sheppard M · 2020 · Wilderness Environ Med

Summary

Coroner-and-search study of triathlon-related deaths (TRDs) among 991,186 British Triathlon participants, 2009-2015: five UK TRDs (mortality 0.5 per 100,000 participants) plus five more among UK citizens racing abroad. Deaths clustered in the SWIM segment (3 of 5 UK; 2 of 5 abroad), and cardiovascular pathology was a cause or contributor in half; four cases went to a specialist cardiac-pathology service. Concludes CVD is the commonest cause of TRD and calls for screening tools.

So what

The denominator the open-water death literature needs: 0.5 deaths per 100,000 triathlon participants, with the risk concentrated in the swim leg and driven by cardiovascular pathology — the numbers a race medical director quotes when arguing for in-water cover and a swim-exit cardiac response. Pairs with Di Masi (Brazil open-water) to bracket the event-drowning risk internationally, and with the venue AED literature (Drezner, Hallstrom) on the cardiac side: the triathlon swim is where the two hazards — immersion and cardiac arrest — physically overlap.

Key findings

  • 991,186 UK triathlon participants 2009-2015; mortality 0.5 per 100,000
  • Swim segment dominated deaths (3 of 5 UK; 2 of 5 abroad)
  • Cardiovascular pathology a cause/contributor in half of fatalities
  • Specialist cardiac-pathology autopsy in 4 cases
  • Provides the participant-denominator for event-drowning risk

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