There is a massive war being waged around planet Earth right now. Millions of innocent men, women, children and babies are dying or suffering. The enemy causing all this death and destruction is Heart Disease. But out of the ashes rises phoenix-like a new breed of Superhero. You see Heart Disease made a fatal mistake. It left some survivors who are now seeking their revenge. These real life superheroes are CARDIAC ATHLETES. Read their stories, listen to their wise words, follow their examples and protect yourself and the lives of all your loved ones from this pernicious enemy.

Providing a critical update and review of salient topics needed for the proper cardiac evaluation and care of athletes, this text is designed to be the most up-to-date and practical manual for all health care providers who evaluate and treat athletes, including sports cardiologists, general cardiologists, sports medicine specialists, team doctors and athletic trainers. The book is divided into three key sections. The first section ​discusses essential topics pertaining to the pre-participation cardiac screening of athletes, providing a framework for how best to perform pre-participation cardiac evaluations and optimize the interpret​at​ion of cardiac screening test results, and ​a guide to ​assist the streamlining of appropriate downstream testing ​when required. The second section reviews the management and care of athletes with specific, existing cardiovascular disorders, providing the reader with fundamental principles to help recognize and advise levels of sport participation to athletes with these disorders. The final section deals with acute sideline management of the symptomatic athlete and will again provide practical algorithms for cardiologists and non-cardiologists alike who are responsible for athlete health and safety in the sports arenas and training facilities. Written and edited by highly regarded experts in the field of sports cardiology, including several cardiologists who are collegiate and professional team physicians and who work with professional sports organizations on developing policies for cardiac screening and monitoring, Sports Cardiology is an excellent practical resource for all clinicians working in the field.

Too much exercise can kill you. The Haywire Heart is the first book to examine heart conditions in athletes. Intended for anyone who competes in endurance sports like cycling, triathlon, running races of all distances, and cross-country skiing, The Haywire Heart presents the evidence that going too hard or too long can damage your heart forever. You’ll find what to watch out for, what to do about it, and how to protect your heart so you can enjoy the sports you love for years to come. The Haywire Heart shares the developing research into a group of conditions known as “athlete’s heart”, starting with a wide-ranging look at the warning signs, symptoms, and how to recognize your potential risk. Leading cardiac electrophysiologist and masters athlete Dr. John Mandrola explores the prevention and treatment of heart conditions in athletes like arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation and flutter, tachycardia, hypertrophy, and coronary artery disease. He reviews new research about exercise intensity and duration, recovery, inflammation and calcification, and the ways athletes inflict lasting harm. These heart problems are appearing with alarming frequency among masters athletes who are pushing their bodies harder than ever in the hope that exercise will keep them healthy and strong into their senior years. The book is complete with gripping case studies of elite and age-group athletes from journalist Chris Caselike the scary condition that nearly killed cyclist and coauthor Lennard Zinnand includes a frank discussion of exercise addiction and the mental habits that prevent athletes from seeking medical help when they need it. Dr. Mandrola explains why many doctors misdiagnose heart conditions in athletes and offers an invaluable guide on how to talk with your doctor about your condition and its proven treatments. He covers known heart irritants, training and rest modifications, effective medicines, and safe supplements that can reduce the likelihood of heart damage from exercise. Heart conditions affect hardcore athletes as well as those who take up sports seeking better health and weight loss. The Haywire Heart is a groundbreaking and critically important guide to heart care for athletes. By protecting your heart now and watching for the warning signs, you can avoid crippling heart conditions and continue to exercise and compete for years to come.

Chapter 8 Cardiovascular Screening for the Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death in AthletesIntroduction; The Risk of Sudden Death in Athletes; Rationale for Screening Competitive Athletes; The Screening Programmes Implemented in Italy; Rationale for Including a 12-Lead ECG in the PPE ; Efficacy of Screening to Identify Cardiac Disease Risk; Impact of the Screening Programme on Cardiac Mortality; Costs of Systematic Screening across Italy; Limitations of Screening Programmes; Conclusion; References

The unexpected death of an athlete during exercise is a tragic irony - albeit with a history dating back to Pheldippides, who collapsed after his original Marathon run. We are more apt to consider vigorous exercise as a protective measure against cardiovascular events and not as a triggering mechanism for them. The relative rarity of such episodes makes the screening of those at risk even more of a challenge. This challenge is well met in this unique text, the first to deal specifically, authoritatively, and comprehensively with the issues of prediction and prevention of sudden cardiac death in the athlete. Many of the underlying cardiovascular diseases that put athletes at risk are identified and explained, including: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy arrhythmogenic right venticular dysplasia Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome anomalous origin of the coronary arteries inherited long QT syndromes The screening guidelines are of particular value, as are the recommendations regarding the participation of athletes with cardiovascular disease. Beyond its clinical scope, the editors have incorporated current information in epidemiology, cardiovascular pathophysiology, and the many vexing legal and ethical issues. With its in-depth, multi-faceted approach and prominent contributors, Sudden Cardiac Death in the Athlete is sure to be a much welcomed reference for sports medicine and team physicians, athletic directors and trainers, family practitioners, pediatricians, and cardiologists.

This text atlas focuses on the pathology and molecular genetics of sudden cardiac death in the young and in athletes, presenting the state of the art in the field as the basis for development and implementation of more effective prevention strategies, including, ultimately, molecular therapy that will cure the underlying biological defect. A wealth of high-resolution color images, accompanied by clear supporting text, are presented to document the anatomic pathology of the cardiac diseases most frequently responsible for sudden cardiac death in this population, including coronary artery diseases, cardiomyopathies, myocarditis, valve diseases, conduction system abnormalities, congenital heart diseases, and ion channel diseases. The role of the molecular autopsy in overcoming the limitations of morphological investigations and offering new insights and avenues for prevention is explained. The approach is, however, interdisciplinary, with close attention also to epidemiologic and clinical aspects. The authors draw throughout on their experience gained over 30 years in the course of a prospective study carried out in the Veneto Region, North East Italy. This text atlas will be of great value not only for cardiologists but also for geneticists, sports physicians, and residents in cardiology and pathology.

This issue of Cardiac Electrophysiology Clinics covers arrhythmias in athletes, which can be a cause of morbidity and mortality. Expert authors review the most current information available about management of ventricular arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation, bradyarrhythmias, syncope and other conditions. Preparticipation screening, defibrillator use, and prevention are also discussed. Keep up-to-the-minute with the latest developments in this important aspect of cardiac electrophysiology practice.