Rationale and Design of the ORCCA (Outcomes Registry for Cardiac Conditions in Athletes) Study

Clinical Considerations for Competitive Sports Participation for Athletes With Cardiovascular Abnormalities: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology

COLLABORATORS

Larry A. Allen, MD, MHS, FAHA, FACC; Mats Börjesson, MD, PhD, FACC; Alan C. Braverman, MD, FACC; Julie A. Brothers, MD; Silvia Castelletti, MD, MSc, FESC; Eugene H. Chung, MD, MPH, FHRS, FAHA, FACC; Timothy W. Churchill, MD, FACC; Guido Claessen, MD, PhD; Flavio D'Ascenzi, MD, PhD; Douglas Darden, MD; Peter N. Dean, MD, FACC; Neal W. Dickert, MD, PhD, FACC; Jonathan A. Drezner, MD; Katherine E. Economy, MD, MPH; Thijs M.H. Eijsvogels, PhD; Michael S. Emery, MD, MS, FACC; Susan P. Etheridge, MD, FHRS, FAHA, FACC; Sabiha Gati, BSc (Hons), MBBS, PhD, MRCP, FESC; Belinda Gray, BSc (Med), MBBS, PhD; Martin Halle, MD; Kimberly G. Harmon, MD; Jeffrey J. Hsu, MD, PhD, FAHA, FACC; Richard J. Kovacs, MD, FAHA, MACC; Sheela Krishnan, MD, FACC; Mark S. Link, MD, FHRS, FAHA, FACC; Martin Maron, MD; Silvana Molossi, MD, PhD, FACC; Antonio Pelliccia, MD; Jack C. Salerno, MD, FACC, FHRS; Ankit B. Shah, MD, MPH, FACC; Sanjay Sharma, BSc (Hons), MBChB, MRCP (UK), MD; Tamanna K. Singh, MD, FACC; Katie M. Stewart, NP, MS; Paul D. Thompson, MD, FAHA, FACC; Meagan M. Wasfy, MD, MPH, FACC; Matthias Wilhelm, MD.

This American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology scientific statement on clinical considerations for competitive sports participation for athletes with cardiovascular abnormalities or diseases is organized into 11 distinct sections focused on sports-specific topics or disease processes that are relevant when considering the potential risks of adverse cardiovascular events, including sudden cardiac arrest, during competitive sports participation. Task forces comprising international experts in sports cardiology and the respective topics covered were assigned to each section and prepared specific clinical considerations tables for practitioners to reference. Comprehensive literature review and an emphasis on shared decision-making were integral in the writing of all clinical considerations presented.

Vigorous exercise and sports participation in individuals with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Historically, individuals with HCM have been restricted from vigorous competitive sports due to concerns for risk of sudden death. More recently, prospective data are emerging that individuals with HCM who participate in vigorous sports do not have increased arrhythmic risk compared to the less active, and series of athletes with HCM continuing to compete, while small, have not shown high risk. Guidelines are evolving, and while differences exist, all now recommend an individualized approach and shared decision-making for athletes with HCM wishing to return to play.

Systematic Review of COVID-19 and COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Myocarditis in Athletes: Incidence, Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Return-to-Play Principles

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the original peer-reviewed studies on athletes who developed myocarditis after coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection or after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. Both entities likely have an immunologic component. We discuss elite, professional, college, and adolescent athletes. The athletes are generally young and healthy, representing a distinctive population group that differs from the general population. This review includes diagnosis of myocarditis, incidence, complications, prognosis, and return-to-play guidance for sports medicine clinicians and coaches.

DATA SOURCES

We surveyed the PUBMED, Embase, and Web of Science databases for the relevant peer-reviewed articles in the English language published from the onset of the pandemic until April 2023. Included were original observational studies and case series. Excluded were individual case reports and a small series with incomplete data. The resulting search yielded 30 original articles.

MAIN RESULTS

Reported myocardial abnormalities in athletes were rare after COVID-19 infection and even less frequent after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. True incidence, however, may be higher because of under-reporting and frequent asymptomatic presentation. Male gender was prevalent for both manifestations; postvaccination myocarditis occurrence was the highest after the second vaccine dose. Diagnostic and return-to-play algorithms were developed and should be adopted and followed.

CONCLUSIONS

The risk of myocarditis from COVID-19 infection and COVID-19 mRNA vaccination is very low. The long-term prognosis and evolution of the observed cardiac magnetic resonance abnormalities are currently unknown. Although inferences can be made from the published data, COVID-19 and postvaccine myocarditis in athletes may represent only a small fraction of the true incidence of those who have been affected worldwide and not evaluated.

The differentiation of the competitive athlete with physiologic cardiac remodeling from the athlete with cardiomyopathy

There are currently 5 million active high school, collegiate, professional, and master athletes in the United States. Regular intense exercise by these athletes can promote structural, electrical and functional remodeling of the heart, which is termed the "athlete's heart." In addition, regular intense exercise can lead to pathological adaptions that promote or worsen cardiac disease. Many of the athletes in the United States seek medical care. Consequently, physicians must be aware of the normal cardiac anatomy and physiology of the athlete, the differentiation of the normal athlete heart from the athlete with cardiomyopathy, and the contemporary care of the athlete with a cardiomyopathy. In athletes with persistent cardiovascular symptoms, investigations should include a detailed history and physical examination, an ECG, a transthoracic echocardiogram, and in athletes in whom the diagnosis is uncertain, a maximal exercise stress test or a continuous ECG recording, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging or cardiac computed tomography angiography when definition of the coronary anatomy or characterization of the aorta and the aortic great vessels is indicated. This article discusses the differentiation of the normal athlete with physiologic cardiac remodeling from the athlete with hypertrophic, dilated or arrhythmogenic ventricular cardiomyopathy (ACM). The ECG changes in trained athletes that are considered normal, borderline, or abnormal are listed. In addition, the normal echocardiographic measurements for athletes who consistently participate in endurance, power, combined or heterogeneous sports are enumerated and discussed. Algorithms are listed that are useful in the diagnosis of trained athletes with borderline or abnormal echocardiographic measurements suggestive of cardiomyopathies along with the major and minor criteria for the diagnosis of ACM in athletes. Thereafter, the treatment of athletes with hypertrophic, dilated, and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathies are reviewed. The distinction between physiologic changes and pathologic changes in the hearts of athletes has important therapeutic and prognostic implications. Failure by the physician to correctly diagnose an athlete with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, or ACM, can lead to the sudden cardiac arrest and death of the athlete during training or sports competition. Conversely, an incorrect diagnosis by a physician of cardiac pathology in a normal athlete can lead to an unnecessary restriction of athlete training and competition with resultant significant emotional, psychological, financial, and long-term health consequences in the athlete.

Rationale and Design of the Australasian Registry of Screening ECGs in National Athletes Project

BACKGROUND

Cardiac screening of elite athletes is widely recommended by Australasian sporting federations, but data are not structured to be shared. Data are lacking from underrepresented groups to inform ECG interpretation guidelines. The ARENA (Australasian Registry of Screening ECGs in National Athletes) project is a retrospective and prospective, multicenter, longitudinal, observational registry of athlete cardiac screening results and outcomes. The aim is to create a repository to improve our understanding of the diagnoses and outcomes of screening.

METHODS

Participating sports that conduct cardiac screening of athletes will contribute data. This includes an initial collection (retrospective data, waiver of consent) and future prospective data (opt-out consent). Data include sex, age, sport/event, screening date, ECG findings, cardiac test results, follow-up details, sport participation status, cardiac diagnoses, and major cardiovascular outcomes defined as sudden cardiac arrest/death, cardiac syncope or implanted cardioverter defibrillator shock, cardiac hospitalization, and arrhythmias requiring intervention. Comparisons will be made between diagnoses, outcomes, and ECG features and analyzed by sport and sex. The ARENA project was developed in collaboration with sporting bodies, team physicians, and players association representatives and endorsed by the Australasian College of Sport & Exercise Physicians and Sports Medicine Australia.

CONCLUSIONS

The ARENA project will provide a long-term international data repository to improve our understanding of ECG interpretation, cardiac screening and diagnoses, and the prevalence of cardiovascular outcomes in screened athletes. A unique aim is to address evidence gaps in underrepresented athlete groups, specifically female athletes and Indigenous populations. Results will inform screening policies and guidelines.

Orchard Sports Injury and Illness Classification System (OSIICS) Version 15

BACKGROUND

Sports medicine (injury and illnesses) requires distinct coding systems because the International Classification of Diseases is insufficient for sports medicine coding. The Orchard Sports Injury and Illness Classification System (OSIICS) is one of two sports medicine coding systems recommended by the International Olympic Committee. Regular updates of coding systems are required.

METHODS

For Version 15, updates for mental health conditions in athletes, sports cardiology, concussion sub-types, infectious diseases, and skin and eye conditions were considered particularly important.

RESULTS

Recommended codes were added from a recent International Olympic Committee consensus statement on mental health conditions in athletes. Two landmark sports cardiology papers were used to update a more comprehensive list of sports cardiology codes. Rugby union protocols on head injury assessment were used to create additional concussion codes.

CONCLUSION

It is planned that OSIICS Version 15 will be translated into multiple new languages in a timely fashion to facilitate international accessibility. The large number of recently published sport-specific and discipline-specific consensus statements on athlete surveillance warrant regular updating of OSIICS.

Prognosis and clinical management of asymptomatic family members with RYR2-mediated catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia: a review

Despite its low prevalence, the potential diagnosis of catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) should be at the forefront of a paediatric cardiologists mind in children with syncope during exercise or emotions. Over the years, the number of children with a genetic diagnosis of CPVT due to a (likely) pathogenic RYR2 variant early in life and prior to the onset of symptoms has increased due to cascade screening programmes. Limited guidance for this group of patients is currently available. Therefore, we aimed to summarise currently available literature for asymptomatic patients with a (likely) pathogenic RYR2 variant, particularly the history of CPVT and its genetic architecture, the currently available diagnostic tests and their limitations, and the development of a CPVT phenotype - both electrocardiographically and symptomatic - of affected family members. Their risk of arrhythmic events is presumably low and a phenotype seems to develop in the first two decades of life. Future research should focus on this group in particular, to better understand the development of a phenotype over time, and therefore, to be able to better guide clinical management - including the frequency of diagnostic tests, the timing of the initiation of drug therapy, and lifestyle recommendations.

Insights into adherence to medication and lifestyle recommendations in an international cohort of patients with catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia

AIMS

In patients with catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT), a rare inherited arrhythmia syndrome, arrhythmic events can be prevented by medication and lifestyle recommendations. In patients who experience breakthrough arrhythmic events, non-adherence plays an essential role. We aimed to investigate the incidence and potential reasons for non-adherence to medication and lifestyle recommendations in a large, international cohort of patients with CPVT.

METHODS AND RESULTS

An online multilingual survey was shared with CPVT patients worldwide by their cardiologists, through peer-recruitment, and on social media from November 2022 until July 2023. Self-reported non-adherence was measured using the validated Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS) and a newly developed questionnaire about lifestyle. Additionally, validated questionnaires were used to assess potential reasons for medication non-adherence. Two-hundred-and-eighteen patients completed the survey, of whom 200 (92%) were prescribed medication [122 (61%) female; median age 33.5 years (interquartile range: 22-50)]. One-hundred-and-three (52%) were prescribed beta-blocker and flecainide, 85 (43%) beta-blocker, and 11 (6%) flecainide. Thirty-four (17%) patients experienced a syncope, aborted cardiac arrest or appropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator shock after diagnosis. Nineteen (13.4%) patients were exercising more than recommended. Thirty (15%) patients were non-adherent to medication. Female sex [odds ratio (OR) 3.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3-12.0, P = 0.019], flecainide monotherapy compared to combination therapy (OR 6.8, 95% CI 1.6-31.0, P = 0.010), and a higher agreement with statements regarding concerns about CPVT medication (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1-1.3, P < 0.001) were independently associated with non-adherence.

CONCLUSION

The significant rate of non-adherence associated with concerns regarding CPVT-related medication, emphasizes the potential for improving therapy adherence by targeted patient education.