The Collapsed Athlete: General Principles.

The collapsed athlete encompasses multiple critical and noncritical pathologic conditions, management of which highly depends on the elements of presentation of an athlete, the environment in which the athlete presents, and the key history elements leading to the collapse. Early identification of an unresponsive/pulseless athlete with basic life support/CPR, AED use, and EMS activation is key, with the addition of early hemorrhage control in acute traumatic injuries. The initiation of a focused history and physical examination is critical to rule out life-threatening causes of collapse and to guide initial management and disposition.