Sports cardiology: Can ultraendurance events damage the heart?

Is it safe for this athlete to exercise? Are ultraendurance events and training for them leading to reversible cardiac fatigue to frank damage and fibrosis? How should one investigate the athlete who may be in the ‘grey zone’ between benign ‘athletes heart’ and potentially fatal cardiomyopathy? Dr Andre La Gerche, an internationally renowned sports cardiologist with experience in Europe and Australia took time out from his keynote role at the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine conference (2015) to answer those questions with BJSM’s Dr Michael Turner. Relevant links include: The right ventricle following prolonged endurance exercise: are we overlooking the more important side of the heart? A meta-analysis – this was discussed on the podcast. http://goo.gl/TWgpnr Ventricular arrhythmias associated with long-term endurance sports: what is the evidence? By Dr La Gerche and colleagues. http://goo.gl/TuF4mQ ECG interpretation in athletes – free (minor signing in, takes Jon Drezner from the archive - Jon Drezner and the 2012 sudden cardiac death update: two new key messages http://bit.ly/1aYmnyX