The authors hypothesized that prospective, systematic Internet searches could 
identify occurrences of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in athletes and would be 
useful for establishing a system of active surveillance. Weekly advanced Google 
searches of the Internet were conducted for cases of SCD in young athletes 
during a 12-month period (2007-2008). Athletes ages 11-30 years who collapsed 
during a game, practice, or within an hour of exercise were included in the 
study. Individuals with known histories of cardiac issues and events occurring 
outside the United States were excluded. Verification of SCD was by autopsy 
reports and death certificates from county coroner offices and vital record 
agencies. Initially, 71 events were identified. Verification for the cause of 
death by coroner reports was possible in 45 cases, 43 (96 %) of which were 
confirmed to be SCDs. A total of 69 individuals 11-30 years of age (mean 17 ± 5 
years) died suddenly of cardiovascular causes while participating in 15 
different organized sports and a variety of nonorganized physical activities. 
The most common cause of death was hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (30 %), followed 
by coronary artery anomalies (9 %), and myocarditis (9 %). The incidence of 
athlete SCD, the types of sports involved, and the cardiac causes of death in 
our study were comparable with those of previous reports. Readily available 
Internet searches have the potential to be a powerful tool for identifying 
occurrences of athlete SCD. An active surveillance system using Google searches 
followed by coroner report verification can provide important epidemiologic and 
clinical information.