Preparing Tomorrow\u27s Clinicians Through Fellowships in Health Policy

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International criteria for electrocardiographic interpretation in athletes: Consensus statement.

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the leading cause of mortality in athletes during sport. A variety of mostly hereditary, structural or electrical cardiac disorders are associated with SCD in young athletes, the majority of which can be identified or suggested by abnormalities on a resting 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG). Whether used for diagnostic or screening purposes, physicians responsible for the cardiovascular care of athletes should be knowledgeable and competent in ECG interpretation in athletes. However, in most countries a shortage of physician expertise limits wider application of the ECG in the care of the athlete. A critical need exists for physician education in modern ECG interpretation that distinguishes normal physiological adaptations in athletes from distinctly abnormal findings suggestive of underlying pathology. Since the original 2010 European Society of Cardiology recommendations for ECG interpretation in athletes, ECG standards have evolved quickly, advanced by a growing body of scientific data and investigations that both examine proposed criteria sets and establish new evidence to guide refinements. On 26-27 February 2015, an international group of experts in sports cardiology, inherited cardiac disease, and sports medicine convened in Seattle, Washington (USA), to update contemporary standards for ECG interpretation in athletes. The objective of the meeting was to define and revise ECG interpretation standards based on new and emerging research and to develop a clear guide to the proper evaluation of ECG abnormalities in athletes. This statement represents an international consensus for ECG interpretation in athletes and provides expert opinion-based recommendations linking specific ECG abnormalities and the secondary evaluation for conditions associated with SCD

International criteria for electrocardiographic interpretation in athletes: Consensus statement

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the leading cause of mortality in athletes during sport. A variety of mostly hereditary, structural or electrical cardiac disorders are associated with SCD in young athletes, the majority of which can be identified or suggested by abnormalities on a resting 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG). Whether used for diagnostic or screening purposes, physicians responsible for the cardiovascular care of athletes should be knowledgeable and competent in ECG interpretation in athletes. However, in most countries a shortage of physician expertise limits wider application of the ECG in the care of the athlete. A critical need exists for physician education in modern ECG interpretation that distinguishes normal physiological adaptations in athletes from distinctly abnormal findings suggestive of underlying pathology. Since the original 2010 European Society of Cardiology recommendations for ECG interpretation in athletes, ECG standards have evolved quickly, advanced by a growing body of scientific data and investigations that both examine proposed criteria sets and establish new evidence to guide refinements. On 26-27 February 2015, an international group of experts in sports cardiology, inherited cardiac disease, and sports medicine convened in Seattle, Washington (USA), to update contemporary standards for ECG interpretation in athletes. The objective of the meeting was to define and revise ECG interpretation standards based on new and emerging research and to develop a clear guide to the proper evaluation of ECG abnormalities in athletes. This statement represents an international consensus for ECG interpretation in athletes and provides expert opinion-based recommendations linking specific ECG abnormalities and the secondary evaluation for conditions associated with SCD

The Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

Overall Goals and Objectives: 1. Learn the pathophysiology of cardiovascular plaque development and how it pertains to cardiovascular imaging and advanced lipid testing. 2. Review how advanced lipid testing and cardiovascular imaging has improved cardiovascular outcomes. 3. Describe how optimizing cardiovascular risk assessment helps guide the treatment plan, including lifestyle modification program

Abstract MP14: Lower Cardiovascular Fitness is Associated With Higher C-Reactive-Protein-Related Cardiovascular Risk in Healthy Adolescents and Young Adults

Introduction: Inflammatory markers, such as C-reaction protein (CRP), have been shown to be highly associated with cardiovascular disease. However, it is unclear if baseline levels of cardiovascular fitness in young, healthy persons are related to inflammatory biomarkers who have not yet manifested cardiovascular disease. Methods: Data was compiled from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Cardiovascular fitness level (low, moderate, high) was categorized by estimated VO2 max (with age/sex adjustment cut points). Associations with CRP-based cardiovascular risk were analyzed using ANOVA/Kruskal-Wallis and Chi-squared. Ordered logistic regression was employed to identify predictors of increasing CRP-based cardiovascular risk. To account for the complex survey design, all analyses were conducted using appropriate estimated weights following NHANES analytic guidelines. Results: 2,201 participants from 1999-2004 from ages 12-49 completed cardiovascular fitness testing and had full laboratory analysis. A sensitivity analysis was performed grouping participants into CRP-based cardiovascular risk categories (low &lt;1mg/L, moderate 1-3 mg/L, high &gt;3 mg/L) based on the 2003 AHA/CDC Scientific Statement. Increase in cardiovascular fitness category was associated with decrease in CRP-based cardiovascular risk (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.75 to 0.91, p&lt;0.001). The relationship was strengthened (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.87, p&lt;0.001) when adjusting for age, sex, BMI, diabetes, and smoking. Conclusions: In a sample representative of the United States civilian non-institutionalized population, lower levels of cardiovascular fitness were associated with increased inflammatory biomarkers related to cardiovascular risk, even with adjustment for fitness-related covariates. Further studies will help us to understand the therapeutic role on VO2 max and cardiovascular fitness improvement in reducing atherosclerosis-related inflammation. </jats:p

Abstract 15334: Increased Physical Activity is Associated With Lower Prevalence of Cardiac Symptoms in Adolescents: An Analysis of the Heartbytes Screening Registry

Background: The ACC/AHA currently recommend performing a 14-point cardiovascular (CV) evaluation when screening healthy student-athletes for CV disease. This includes a focused history to assess for cardiac symptoms including exertional chest pain, dyspnea, fatigue, palpitations, and syncope. Though the presence of these symptoms may suggest underlying CV disease, additional factors including hours of weekly physical activity may influence the prevalence of reported symptoms. The relationship between physical activity level and the prevalence of cardiac symptoms has not been fully studied in an adolescent population. Methods: We analyzed the results of 10683 consecutive athlete screenings (median age 15 years) from HeartBytes, a data registry of pre-participation youth CV screenings utilizing the 14-point AHA evaluation. Cardiac symptoms and hours of weekly physical activity were self-reported. Weekly activity level was reported as less than 2 hours, between 2 and 5 hours, between 5 and 10 hours, or as greater than 10 hours. A chi-squared analysis for independence was performed to evaluate the relationship between physical activity level and each cardiac symptom. Results: Chest pain was reported in 5.1% of athletes, and increasing hours of physical activity was associated with less reported pain ( X 2 = 73.01, p &lt;.001). Exertional dyspnea was reported in 11.7% of individuals, and increasing activity was associated with less reported dyspnea ( X 2 = 120.53, p &lt;.001). Easy fatigability was reported in 7.5% of individuals, with more activity associated with less reported fatigue ( X 2 = 376.61, p &lt;.001). Palpitations were reported in 5.1% of those screened, with increasing activity was associated with less reported palpitations ( X 2 = 95.34, p &lt;.001). Finally, syncope was reported in 1.1% of athletes, though there was no relationship between activity level and syncope ( X 2 = 5.53, p = 0.24). Conclusion: Increased physical activity is associated with lower rates of reported chest pain, exertional dyspnea, easy fatigability, and palpitations in adolescents. Further studies are needed to clarify the relationship in youth athletes between symptoms and CV health. </jats:p