Sports Cardiology Laboratory
A key focus of the group is cardiac screening of athletes for conditions associated with sudden cardiac death (SCD). SCD is a tragic outcome for athletes, their families and the entire community. While rare overall, SCD is the leading cause of death for people playing sport, with athletes estimated to have a 2.5 times higher risk than the general population. Many guidelines and international sporting organisations now recommend cardiac screening of competitive athletes, although there are still important knowledge gaps.
We are working on improving the understanding of athlete ECG features of currently under-represented groups to enable a greater accuracy in cardiac screening of young Australian athletes. We are also looking at other ways to improve the implementation and delivery of cardiac screening programs. Findings from our research program have been implemented in policy and practice by national and international sporting organisations.
While many advances have been made in sports cardiology, there are still important knowledge gaps. For example, although many Australian and New Zealand sports are screening athletes, data are not structured to be shared, meaning few comparisons exist across different sports. The unique blend of Australasian sports has not been adequately profiled in terms of cardiac adaptions. Studies indicate ethnicity and gender play a role in athlete cardiovascular adaptation to exercise, but diverse ethnic groups and female athletes are under-represented in research that informs current guidelines.
Current projects focus on:
- Australasia’s first Registry of screening ECGs of National Athletes (ARENA)
- analysis of athlete ECGs with a focus on under-represented groups (such as female athletes and athletes of various ethnicities) and making comparisons across sports
- providing relevant benchmarks for normal athlete ECG and other athlete’s heart features.
- the role of digital technology such wearables
- legal and ethical issues in cardiac screening and sports medicine
The ultimate goals are to enhance cardiovascular care of athletes and those playing sport, and to improve the accuracy and quality of screening programs to prevent SCD.
National
Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
Macquarie University
National Centre for Sports Cardiology
We are also working with a number of national and international sporting organisations and high performance sport institutes in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Germany.
While many advances have been made in sports cardiology, there are still important knowledge gaps. For example, although many Australian and New Zealand sports are screening athletes, data are not structured to be shared, meaning few comparisons exist across different sports. The unique blend of Australasian sports has not been adequately profiled in terms of cardiac adaptions. Studies indicate ethnicity and gender play a role in athlete cardiovascular adaptation to exercise, but diverse ethnic groups and female athletes are under-represented in research that informs current guidelines.
Current projects focus on:
- Australasia’s first Registry of screening ECGs of National Athletes (ARENA)
- analysis of athlete ECGs with a focus on under-represented groups (such as female athletes and athletes of various ethnicities) and making comparisons across sports
- providing relevant benchmarks for normal athlete ECG and other athlete’s heart features.
- the role of digital technology such wearables
- legal and ethical issues in cardiac screening and sports medicine
The ultimate goals are to enhance cardiovascular care of athletes and those playing sport, and to improve the accuracy and quality of screening programs to prevent SCD.
National
Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
Macquarie University
National Centre for Sports Cardiology
We are also working with a number of national and international sporting organisations and high performance sport institutes in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Germany.
