Sudden Death FAQ

How to submit a case of sudden death of an athlete:

Thank you for choosing to participate in the National Registry of Sudden Death in Athletes. Before you can submit a case electronically to us, please register to become our system’s user. We will ask your geographical location (county and state) and your contact information. We may need to contact you for additional information after receiving a case. To register, please click here. After you register, log in with your created username and password to submit a case. If you return to submit another case, our system will remember your personal registration profile and your contact information. Please do not submit “test” cases to verify transmission of information. You will receive an e-mail from The Registry notifying you that the case has been received. If you encounter technical difficulties in the process of submission, please e-mail us.

What types of cases are we interested in?

The National Registry of Sudden Death in Athletes is designed to capture the deaths of males and females up to 40 years of age across the United States that participated in competitive sports. The purpose of the National Registry is detailed here. We are interested in cases that occur in the present and have occurred in the past (from 01/01/1999 to present).

Is submission of a case over the Internet secure?

Transmission of information over the Internet into the database of the National Registry of Sudden Death in Athletes is secured by VeriSign SSL certificate. VeriSign is a system currently used for secure online transactions with authentication and encryption. For example, VeriSign system is used for transmission of billing, shipping and credit card information when making online purchases. Transmission of information to The Registry is done via a secure site. The information is encrypted before transmission. The database of all the submitted cases is designed similarly to a virtual data repository where the case information, once submitted, cannot be retrieved by outside users. If you discovered an error in the data you had submitted, please e-mail us (e-mail page opens once the user clicks). In compliance with standards set by HIPAA, each user will identify a case with a file name assigned by the medical examiner’s or coroner’s office. The names, addresses or Social Security numbers of the deceased are not included into the settings of online case submission.

Will case information be shared with outside parties?

Information received from the offices of Medical Examiners and Deputy County Coroners (includes the online submissions and information from correspondent autopsy reports) will not be shared with other medical examiners, deputy county coroners, medical professionals, media representatives or be published in a way that allows identification of a deceased. However, as a part of routine oversight of the research process, the Institutional Review Board of Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Department of Health and Human Services, and Food and Drug Administration officials may request inspection of files of any research study. In such cases, appropriate procedures to maintain confidentiality of records will be followed.

What will happen after the case is received?

After we receive a case reporting a sudden death in a young athlete, the information will be reviewed by our staff members for eligibility for inclusion into The Registry. We may contact you for more information, or to discuss details of the case, or to request an autopsy report on the case. Periodic reports of the status of the Registry will be posted on the website.

If you have any other questions, please e-mail us.