At Boston Atrial Fibrillation Symposium 2010, Dr. Riccardo Cappato talked about the impact of atrial fibrillation on competitive and professional athletes and how catheter ablation for afib has allowed many to return to training and competition. Watch the video, or read the transcript:
Dr. Riccardo Cappato Part 2: Discussion of Athletes and Atrial Fibrillation
We often hear atrial fibrillation patients say that they wish their doctors could experience afib just once so they might better understand what we afib patients go through. Dr. John Mandrola, a Louisville-based electrophysiologist and a bike racer, just shared his story of experiencing atrial fibrillation and how it made him a more empathic doctor.
Read: Atrial Fibrillation Strikes an Electrophysiologist
At the recent Boston Atrial Fibrillation Symposium, catheter ablation was presented as possibly a better atrial fibrillation (AF) treatment option for serious and professional athletes than antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs). According to Dr. Riccardo Cappato (Institute Policlinics San Donato, Milan, Italy), antiarrhythmic drug therapy has not been popular with this patient population.”Even when effective, AADs significantly affect an athlete’s physical performance and inhibit eligibility at pre-qualification screenings,” said Dr. Cappato. “Catheter ablation offers an unprecedented opportunity for these athletes to come back to their sport, especially when healthy [pre-participation screening] certificates are required to compete in countries such as mine.”
During the same session, Dr. Stanley Nattel (Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, Canada) presented a small animal study with rats that suggested that strenuous exercise may have contributed to their development of atrial fibrillation.
To learn more, read: Catheter Ablation May be Better Atrial Fibrillation Treatment than Drugs for Serious and Professional Athletes
If you’re looking for a group of folks who have the kind of atrial fibrillation that you do, check out the StopAfib.org discussion forums. If you are a young afibber, or have valvular afib or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and afib, or if you’re interested in afib and exercise, afib and pregnancy, afib and sleep apnea, or other special topics, join a group to discuss your common concerns.
If you’re looking for a local support group, you’ll find those, too. We have, or are starting up, local support group discussions for:
If you’d like to start a group for your locale, just let us know.
Find out more at: StopAfib.org Discussion Forums Provide Special Interest Topics and Local Support Groups
I recently wrote Olympic Athlete Nicola Coles Fights Atrial Fibrillation about the New Zealand rower who experienced atrial fibrillation during her final training for Beijing.
You may have wondered if Nicola’s afib impacted her during the Olympics. You’ll find the answer in the updated story:
Nicola Coles and Other Olympic Athletes Fight Atrial Fibrillation
Just scan about halfway down the page to find the update.
I love the Olympics, and find myself staying up half the night watching them. Yes, I know it’s bad, but it’s only for a short while. I found myself transfixed the other night by the women’s gymnastics competition. They were so incredibly graceful, and yet so powerful, too.
Not being athletic myself, I find this level of athleticism amazing. But being athletic can be a problem, too, when it leads to atrial fibrillation.
The latest story on StopAfib.org is about Nicola Coles, an Olympic athlete competing in Beijing, who stopped by the Atrial Fibrillation Blog recently while struggling with her afib…here’s the story:
Nicola Coles and Other Olympic Athletes Fight Atrial Fibrillation
