18^th Annual Cardiologists Conference

Biography

Biography: Robert Skalik

Abstract

Athletic training presents a burden on the cardiovascular system and can pose a significant risk in athletes with undetected heart anomaly. Asymptomatic or symptomatic heart abnormality in athletes usually includes ventricular systolic or diastolic dysfunction caused by myocarditis, ischaemia, and hypertensive, hypertrophic or dilated cardiomyopathy. Nonetheless, other cardiac pathologies such as congenital or acquired heart dysfunction and valve defects can also contribute to cardiovascular fatalities in athletes. A growing interest in sports activities raises concerns regarding the safety of exercise in athletes with various cardiovascular anomalies. In recreational sports, the incidence of sudden cardiac death and cardiovascular comorbidities is higher than expected and may even increase as more and older individuals participate in organized sports. The risk of unrecognized symptomatic or asymptomatic left ventricle remodeling with subsequent heart dysfunction or heart failure in athletes increases with age. Moreover, a greater number of patients with a history of cancer treated with cardiotoxic therapy seek participation in sports. Equipped with an improved diagnostic and treatment armamentarium, and faced with a growing number of “at risks” participants, sports cardiologists will be increasingly faced with the dilemma of qualifying this population for exercise. The various aspects of cardiac hypertrophy, their relevance for understanding the differential diagnostic process, pathophysiologic mechanisms of cardiovascular dysfunction in athletes and whole array of diagnostic tools used in the specific group including ECG, cardiopulmonary exercise testing and advanced imaging techniques are discussed.

References:

1. Robert Skalik. Screening of athletes : an electrocardiogram is not enough Herz 2015
2. Robert  Skalik. Qualifying athletes for exercisee-J.Cardiol.Pract. 2014
3. Robert  Skalik, Branko Furst. Heart failure in athletes: pathophysiology and diagnostic management. e-Journal of Cardiol.Pract. 2017 
4. Robert Skalik, Anna Janocha, LudmiÅ‚a Borodulin-Nadzieja, Anna Goździk, RafaÅ‚ PorÄ™ba, Dariusz BiaÅ‚y, Arkadiusz Derkacz, Marta Obremska, Ireneusz CaÅ‚kosiÅ„ski. The effect of different exercise protocols on leptin levels and regional left ventricular diastolic heart function among professional swimmers - a comparison with untrained subjects: a Doppler tissue imaging study  Med.Sport.(Kraków) 2006
5. Dariusz  BiaÅ‚y, Arkadiusz  Derkacz, Halina  Nowosad, Robert  Skalik, Edyta MarszaÅ‚ek, RafaÅ‚ PorÄ™ba, Marcin Protasiewicz, ZdzisÅ‚aw Zagrobelny. Electrocardiography and echocardiography in athletic heart imaging, Biol.Sport. 2003