How important are preventive check-ups in athletes?

The health benefits of sport are well known, but we are also aware of the dangers that can be associated with the practice of sport when suffering from undiagnosed heart disease.

In this article we review the cardiological tests that athletes should undergo regularly and for this we have the contribution of Dr. José María Cubero Gómez, a renowned specialist in cardiology and Director of the Cardiovascular Diagnostic Center (CEDICAR). The doctor maintains that for routine sports practice a conventional stress test may be sufficient, but as a specialist in cardiology he recommends that the patient undergo a more complete study with Doppler echocardiography.

He points out that athletes who need more information to plan their training and objectively improve their performance are advised to undergo an Exercise Test with Gas Analysis (Ergospirometry) to determine their V02 Maximum, Anaerobic Threshold and Training Intervals.

Regarding his work as an Interventional Cardiologist, the doctor indicates that his greatest challenge in the extensive experience he has accumulated in the coronary field, for the treatment of ischemic heart disease by means of Angioplasty and Stent techniques, are coronary total occlusion interventions (CTO), since this is one of the fields in which he and his team have great experience and excellent results.

Advances in the Hemodynamics and Interventional Cardiology Unit

For the specialist, the greatest changes will undoubtedly be concentrated in the treatment of structural heart disease, specifically in the following areas:

  • TAVI implantation in patients with aortic stenosis. TAVI is one of the revolutions in Interventional Cardiology, allowing treatment of the aortic valve without surgery.
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The results of this technique have proven to be superior to open surgery in many patients, especially those over 75 years of age and those with other serious pathologies. As it is performed without the need to open the chest, with a minimal puncture in the groin, and without the use of general anesthesia, patient recovery is much faster.

  • Left atrial appendage closure is a technique used to avoid taking anticoagulant drugs in patients who have an arrhythmia such as Atrial Fibrillation, and who have suffered severe bleeding due to anticoagulation (digestive or cerebral bleeding). Implanting a device that occludes the left atrial appendage, a small pocket within the left atrium, where thrombi usually form.
  • Closure of patent foramen ovale (preventive treatment of cryptogenic stroke, by means of a device that prevents the passage of thrombi through the patent foramen ovale).

In conclusion, it is important to remember the importance of undergoing a sports check-up before starting to practice sports and, of course, to continue with periodic controls, since the body changes and we are never exempt from the possibility of health problems appearing.