What makes athletes with extra training volume at a sports cardiology center different

Abstract

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Introduction Athletes have always recognized the importance of training, but in modern times there has been a dramatic increase in the volume and intensity of training that athletes undergo. This has led to concerns about the potential risks associated with such high levels of training. However, there is also evidence to suggest that athletes who train the hardest may actually be at lower risk of developing cardiovascular problems. Objective To determine the proportion of athletes with arrhythmias screened at a sports cardiology center. To define the differences in care between an athlete with and without an arrhythmia. Methodology Retrospective analysis of the registry of all athletes of the one Sports Cardiology Centre. Statistical comparison of the cohort of athletes with weekly training volume above the 95th percentile versus the rest of the cohort. File: Between 1/2020-6/2022, a total of 115 cases of athletes, 100 males and 15 females (13%), aged 26 (+/-11 years) were examined and definitively closed at CSK. Median 95th percentile group training volume was 18 hours, mean 22 (+/3) hours vs 9 (+/- 3) hours (p<0.001), detailed in Table 1. Results The cohort of athletes in the greater than 95th percentile of weekly training volume sides differed statistically significantly from the rest of the cohort only in the type of sport according to ESC (typically endurance athletes, p=0.021) and the percentage of medication used regularly (50% vs 16.9%, p=0.039). Data summarized in Table 2. Conclusion Apart from the statistically significant greater use of regular medication, there was no difference from the rest of the cohort in workflow and sports cardiology centre outcomes in the cohort of those athletes with the highest training volume. The difference in heart dimensions and volumes on echocardiographic and MRI scans will be the subject of further investigation.