Sports Electrophysiology: Caring for Athletes with Arrhythmias-Sports Electrophysiology: Caring for Athletes with Arrhythmias

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In this session on Sports Electrophysiology (EP), experts discussed various aspects of managing athletes with arrhythmias, emphasizing the importance of individualized care and shared decision-making. Dr. Anna Rosenblatt highlighted the seriousness of sudden cardiac death in athletes and the role of EP in diagnosing and managing arrhythmias. She stressed the importance of pre-participation screenings and managing conditions like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Dr. Jim Daubert discussed device programming for athletes with pacemakers or ICDs, noting the increased incidence of bradycardia in endurance athletes and emphasizing individualized programming to optimise athletes' safety and performance. Dr. Molly Shaw focused on asymptomatic Wolf-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome, stressing the need for thorough risk stratification and potential catheter ablation even in asymptomatic patients to prevent possible life-threatening events. Lastly, Dr. Steve Amann discussed exercise recommendations for athletes with HCM, noting that while exercise can be part of a healthy lifestyle, competitive training requires nuanced guidance and shared decision-making due to associated risks. The session underscored a transition from paternalistic care to shared decision-making, accounting for both clinical guidelines and patient preferences in managing athletes with heart conditions.

Keywords

Sports Electrophysiology

arrhythmias

individualized care

sudden cardiac death

pre-participation screenings

hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

device programming

Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome

risk stratification

shared decision-making