BACKGROUND—The clinical profile and arrhythmic outcome of competitive athletes with isolated nonischemic left ventricular (LV) scar as evidenced by contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance remain ...to be elucidated.
METHODS AND RESULTS—We compared 35 athletes (80% men, age14–48 years) with ventricular arrhythmias and isolated LV subepicardial/midmyocardial late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance (group A) with 38 athletes with ventricular arrhythmias and no LGE (group B) and 40 healthy control athletes (group C). A stria LGE pattern with subepicardial/midmyocardial distribution, mostly involving the lateral LV wall, was found in 27 (77%) of group A versus 0 controls (group C; P<0.001), whereas a spotty pattern of LGE localized at the junction of the right ventricle to the septum was respectively observed in 11 (31%) versus 10 (25%; P=0.52). All athletes with stria pattern showed ventricular arrhythmias with a predominant right bundle branch block morphology, 13 of 27 (48%) showed ECG repolarization abnormalities, and 5 of 27 (19%) showed echocardiographic hypokinesis of the lateral LV wall. The majority of athletes with no or spotty LGE pattern had ventricular arrhythmias with a predominant left bundle branch block morphology and no ECG or echocardiographic abnormalities. During a follow-up of 38±25 months, 6 of 27 (22%) athletes with stria pattern experienced malignant arrhythmic events such as appropriate implantable cardiac defibrillator shock (n=4), sustained ventricular tachycardia (n=1), or sudden death (n=1), compared with none of athletes with no or LGE spotty pattern and controls.
CONCLUSIONS—Isolated nonischemic LV LGE with a stria pattern may be associated with life-threatening arrhythmias and sudden death in the athlete. Because of its subepicardial/midmyocardial location, LV scar is often not detected by echocardiography.
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has revealed several cardiovascular complications, including myocarditis caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) or after ...messenger RNA vaccine administration. Because of the high prevalence of COVID-19, the expansion of vaccination programs, and the appearance of new information on myocarditis in these contexts, there is a need to condense the knowledge acquired since the start of the pandemic. To meet this need, this document was drafted by the Myocarditis Working Group of the Heart Failure Association of the Spanish Society of Cardiology, with the collaboration of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS). The document aims to address the diagnosis and treatment of cases of myocarditis associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection or messenger RNA vaccine administration.
La pandemia causada por el coronavirus del síndrome respiratorio agudo grave de tipo 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ha puesto de manifiesto una serie de complicaciones cardiovasculares, entre las que destaca la miocarditis ocasionada tanto por la propia infección por SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) como por la administración de vacunas de ARN mensajero. La elevada prevalencia de primoinfección, la difusión universal de los programas de vacunación y la constante aparición de nueva información sobre la miocarditis en estos contextos, hace necesario condensar el conocimiento adquirido desde el inicio de la pandemia. Con este objetivo, el Grupo de Trabajo Miocarditis de la Asociación de Insuficiencia Cardiaca de la Sociedad Española de Cardiología, con la colaboración de la Agencia Española de Medicamentos y Productos Sanitarios (AEMPS), ha elaborado el presente documento que pretende abordar el diagnóstico y el tratamiento de los casos de miocarditis asociados con la infección por SARS-CoV-2 o la vacuna de ARN mensajero.
In just 11 steps, the CPR 11 mobile application presents a simple plan, with clear and precise instructions, on how to recognise a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), provide immediate and adequate response ...with efficient compressions and ventilations, how to use the automated external defibrillator (AED) and how to transfer the player from the field of play.
La pandemia causada por el coronavirus del síndrome respiratorio agudo grave de tipo 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ha puesto de manifiesto una serie de complicaciones cardiovasculares, entre las que destaca la ...miocarditis ocasionada tanto por la propia infección por SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) como por la administración de vacunas de ARN mensajero. La elevada prevalencia de primoinfección, la difusión universal de los programas de vacunación y la constante aparición de nueva información sobre la miocarditis en estos contextos, hace necesario condensar el conocimiento adquirido desde el inicio de la pandemia. Con este objetivo, el Grupo de Trabajo Miocarditis de la Asociación de Insuficiencia Cardiaca de la Sociedad Española de Cardiología, con la colaboración de la Agencia Española de Medicamentos y Productos Sanitarios (AEMPS), ha elaborado el presente documento que pretende abordar el diagnóstico y el tratamiento de los casos de miocarditis asociados con la infección por SARS-CoV-2 o la vacuna de ARN mensajero.
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has revealed several cardiovascular complications, including myocarditis caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) or after messenger RNA vaccine administration. Because of the high prevalence of COVID-19, the expansion of vaccination programs, and the appearance of new information on myocarditis in these contexts, there is a need to condense the knowledge acquired since the start of the pandemic. To meet this need, this document was drafted by the Myocarditis Working Group of the Heart Failure Association of the Spanish Society of Cardiology, with the collaboration of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS). The document aims to address the diagnosis and treatment of cases of myocarditis associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection or messenger RNA vaccine administration.
IntroductionTransitioning out of professional football is a challenging time in most players’ lives. During these preretirement and postretirement years, professional footballers may struggle with ...their mental, musculoskeletal, neurocognitive and cardiovascular health. Currently, longitudinal data about these health conditions are lacking. This article presents the design of a prospective cohort study with the primary aim of gathering epidemiological evidence about the onset and course of mental, musculoskeletal, neurocognitive and cardiovascular health conditions in professional footballers during their preretirement and postretirement years and evaluating the associations between risk indicators and the health conditions under study in these players.Methods and analysisAn observational prospective cohort study with repeated measurements over a follow-up period of 10 years will be conducted among at least 200 professional footballers (male; 27 (±1) years old). Mental health will be explored by assessing symptoms of distress, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, alcohol misuse, drug misuse and disordered eating. Musculoskeletal health will be explored by assessing severe joint injury and related surgery, clinical and radiological osteoarthritis, and joint function (hips, knees and ankles). Neurocognitive health will be explored by assessing the concussion, brain structure and functioning, and neurocognitive functioning. Cardiovascular health will be explored by assessing blood pressure, lipid profile and ECG abnormalities.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval for the study was provided by the Medical Ethics Review Committee of the Amsterdam University Medical Centers. The results of the study will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals, will be presented at scientific conferences and will be released in the media (postpublication).Trial registration numberThe Dutch Trial Registry (Drake Football Study NL7999).
Abstract
Myocardial diseases are associated with an increased risk of potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death/cardiac arrest during exercise, including hypertrophic ...cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, left ventricular non-compaction, arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, and myo-pericarditis. Practicing cardiologists and sport physicians are required to identify high-risk individuals harbouring these cardiac diseases in a timely fashion in the setting of preparticipation screening or medical consultation and provide appropriate advice regarding the participation in competitive sport activities and/or regular exercise programmes. Many asymptomatic (or mildly symptomatic) patients with cardiomyopathies aspire to participate in leisure-time and amateur sport activities to take advantage of the multiple benefits of a physically active lifestyle. In 2005, The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) published recommendations for participation in competitive sport in athletes with cardiomyopathies and myo-pericarditis. One decade on, these recommendations are partly obsolete given the evolving knowledge of the diagnosis, management and treatment of cardiomyopathies and myo-pericarditis. The present document, therefore, aims to offer a comprehensive overview of the most updated recommendations for practicing cardiologists and sport physicians managing athletes with cardiomyopathies and myo-pericarditis and provides pragmatic advice for safe participation in competitive sport at professional and amateur level, as well as in a variety of recreational physical activities.
Regular exercise has multiple benefits for physical and mental health, including the body’s ability to combat infections. The current COVID-19 pandemic and the social distancing measures employed to ...curtail the impact of the infection are likely to reduce the amount of usual physical activity being performed by most individuals, including habitual exercisers. The uncertainties relating to the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on the heart may cause increased anxiety, particularly in athletes who need to sustain a vigorous exercise regime in order to maintain their skills and fitness in preparation for return to competition after a short re-training period. The aim of this document is to provide practical answers to pertinent questions being posed by the sporting community, in an attempt to offer reassurance, promote safe participation in exercise during as well as after the COVID-19 pandemic and provide a framework of management for physicians caring for athletes.
Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus suffer from dysregulation of a plethora of cardiovascular and metabolic functions, including dysglycaemia, dyslipidaemia, arterial hypertension, obesity and a ...reduced cardiorespiratory fitness. Exercise training has the potential to improve many of these functions, such as insulin sensitivity, lipid profile, vascular reactivity and cardiorespiratory fitness, particularly in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with cardiovascular comorbidities, such as patients that suffered from an acute myocardial infarction, or after a coronary intervention such as percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting. The present position paper aims to provide recommendations for prescription of exercise training in patients with both type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. The first part discusses the relevance and practical applicability of treatment targets that may be pursued, and failure to respond to these targets. The second part provides recommendations on the contents and methods to prescribe exercise training tailored to these treatment targets as well as to an optimal preparation and dealing with barriers and risks specific to type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiac comorbidity.