Dr. Jack Taunton, an eminent sport medicine physician in BC, co-founder of SportMedBC, Chief Medical Officer for the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics and many more accolades has recently co-founded a new organization called “Sport Cardiology BC” with cardiologist Dr. Saul Isserow. Their mandate is to prevent sudden death in young and Masters athlete.
They have recently received “UBC Ethics Approval for Screening 2000 Masters- a first in Canada to reduce and prevent sudden death and cardiac arrests in Canada”. They are now recruiting “Masters” athletes aged 35 years and over for this important study. This is for both recreational and performance athletes over 35 years.
The Sport Cardiology group will be travelling around the province to conduct testing, but hope for a critical mass of about 75 candidates in each test area. The groups of athletes being tested will come from a variety of sports.
The information below comes from the research team. There are also a couple of website links at the bottom of the message. I think that it’s important for our sport system to actively support this kind of research as it is ultimately for the benefit of our participants.
Download the Screening in Masters Athletes Consent Form.
Thank you for your consideration.
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Purpose of the Study:
We want to evaluate the cardiovascular risk and the best screening method in Canadian Masters athletes in order to prevent sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and/or sudden cardiac death (SCD).
Inclusion:
- Male and female Master (≥ 35 years) high performance athletes (participate in organized team or individual sport that requires systematic training and regular competition against others and places a high premium on athletic performance on athletic excellence and achievement, such as at the provincial, national, international and/or Olympic level) who perform exercise sessions at least 6 times per week.
- Male and female Master (≥ 35 years) recreational competitive athletes (participate in a variety of informal recreational sports within a range of exercise levels from modest to vigorous, which does not require systematic training or the pursuit of excellence) who perform exercise sessions at least 3 times per week.
Exclusion
- You have known cardiovascular disease (i.e. coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, previous stroke, cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart), congenital heart disease, pericarditis (swelling of the sac that surrounds your heart), aorta disease, Marfan’s syndrome, or heart failure).
- You have a known irregular heart rhythm that could cause SCD (i.e. Brugada syndrome, long QT, short QT, White-Parkinson White syndrome, catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (rhythm disorder of the large chambers of the heart)).
Further information on the study:
We can test interested members at UBC hospital, Fortius (Burnaby) or we can come to the teams’ training facility if there is a minimum of 20 participants interested. We will be screening at least twice a month at either of these locations and will post these dates on our website (sportscardiologybc.org) as well as on our facebook page (www.facebook.com/Sportscardiologybc).
The initial screen takes 10-20 minutes and includes an ECG, physical exam, and questionnaire.
The participants will be required to complete a blood lipid profile (they can obtain a requisition from from their doctor before the screening date or we can provide them with one when we screen them).
All patients are de-identified and no personal information is made available to the public. All data is for research purposes only. The final results (without names attached) will be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
We have scheduled our first date for Thursday April 23rd from 5:45-9pm and will soon have the info set up on our website. (SportMedBC will provide this link to interested PSOs when available) If any individual team would like us to come to their facility to conduct the screen on the entire team we can do that as well. Anyone that is interested you can have them contact me directly.
#1 – Before you begin the study
If you have not completed a recent blood lipid profile (within one year of the screen), please consult with your physician to acquire a laboratory blood lipid requisition (i.e. total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting blood glucose) and complete prior to your screening session. If this is not possible or not complete on the day of screening you may acquire a requisition from the research team. Please complete this as soon as possible and inform your research coordinator, Barb Morrison at 604-719-2825 or Fax it to: 604-822-7625 once it is complete.
#2 – Screening Visit (10-20 minutes)
On the day of testing, you will be asked to refrain from exercise and smoking for 2 hours prior to testing, and caffeine/alcohol on the day of the test.
- a) Questionnaire: Two weeks prior to the screening date, you will be sent a questionnaire and will be asked to bring it with you on your screening date. This questionnaire should take about 10 minutes to complete.
- b) Electrocardiogram: The study will involve a resting electrocardiogram (ECG), which records your heart rate and rhythm and will be performed by a trained professional. Areas on your arms, legs and chest, where the ten electrodes will be placed, will be cleaned with alcohol wipes and you may need to be shaved to provide a clean, smooth surface to attach the electrode discs. Participants will be asked to remove their top garment for this test so that the electrodes can be placed on the proper areas of the chest. This is required for a proper reading of the electrical conductivity of the heart. Some ECG leads need to be place on the body near the breasts. When dealing with female participants a female research associate, will be available to place the leads on these individuals. We will have private areas available for testing. This is painless and non-invasive. These measures should take 5 minutes to complete.
- c) Physical Examination: This will include measurements of heart rate and blood pressure. A physician will also listen to your heart and assess for other cardiovascular risk features. This is painless and non-invasive and should take 5 minutes to complete.
#3 – Additional testing (if the initial screen is positive):
Exercise Stress Test
If you are 65 years or older, and/or the initial screen is positive as deemed by a cardiologist, you will be contacted to complete an exercise stress test. This test assesses your exercise capacity and your heart rate and rhythm while exercising. This will be determined by walking and/or running on a treadmill. This test takes approximately 30 minutes.
#4 – Diagnostic Testing (If the exercise stress test is positive or inconclusive)
If the exercise stress test is positive or inconclusive you will be contacted for additional diagnostic testing, to make a diagnosis, including but not limited to: an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart), cardiac computed tomography (test that uses x-rays and a contrast dye to create detailed pictures of the heart), calcium artery score (test that detects calcium deposits found in atherosclerotic plaque in your heart arteries), cardiac catheterization (procedure that uses a long, thin flexible tube inserted into a blood vessel in your arm or groin and is threaded to your heart to take x-ray pictures and is used to make diagnosis of heart conditions or provide treatment), cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (test that uses radio waves, magnets and a computer to take pictures of your heart), endomyocardial biopsy (biopsy of the heart muscle), 24 hour blood pressure monitoring and/or 24 hour Holter test (electrocardiogram monitor that is worn for 24 hours). These tests can take an additional hour.
#5 – Follow-up Questionnaire and Resting Electrocardiogram
Each subsequent year you will be asked to complete a follow up questionnaire, redo your blood lipid profile, and come to UBC hospital (or we can come to your training facility) to have the resting ECG re-administered. The questionnaire will be similar to the initial heart health questionnaire and will also include questions on whether or not you have experienced a new cardiovascular event. Two weeks prior to the date of your ECG being re-administered, you will be sent the questionnaire and will be asked to bring it with you on your screening date. The questionnaire and resting ECG will take approximately 10-20 minutes.
What are my responsibilities?
- Please see your doctor and acquire a blood lipid profile requisition (i.e. total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting blood glucose) and have this complete (and bring a copy with you) prior to screening. If this is not feasible, you can obtain a requisition from us on the day of screening, and notify us as soon as it is complete.
- Complete a yearly questionnaire, blood lipid profile and resting ECG for 5 years.
Here are a couple of links featuring our study:
http://globalnews.ca/video/1923703/ubc-sports-study
Questions should be directed to Barb Morrison at Sport Cardiology BC: bmorrison@sportscardiologybc.org
