Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/862008
different types of competitive sports that affect the cardiovascular system." While exercise improves health and longevity overall, it is also true that when a person is actually exercising, his or her risk of a cardiac event rises somewhat. Dr. Jafar notes this risk is higher for people who have a congenital or hereditary heart condition, such as hypertrophic cardio- myopathy (HCM), and for people who have developed a cardiac condition, such as atherosclerosis. Extreme exercise may also contribute to some forms of damage to the heart, such as arterial calcium buildup, says Dr. Haleem. Spor t s ca rd iolog y i nvolves it sel f directly with this paradox. Health Quest's sports cardiology program aims at both improved performance and risk mitiga- tion. Since the spring of 2017, the program has offered testing, assessments and advice to athletes in the Hudson Valley. ADVANCED DIAGNOSTICS FOR ACTIVE HEARTS The sports cardiolog y program offers electrocardiograms tailored to the needs of its special patients. Exercise stress testing is also performed, as is maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max) testing, to assess athletes' performance ability. "No other health system in the Mid- Hudson Va lley offers this prog ra m," Dr. Jafar says. "We start with a physical exam, followed by a specific EKG for at h letes a nd a specialized athletic echo- cardiogram that ta kes a strain measurement. We a lso administer cardiac calcium scoring to make sure our patients aren't at risk for a cardiac event. We perform stress tests t o ob s er ve t he he a r t 's behavior under duress." T hese t est s d i f fer i n various ways from those offered in typical cardiol- ogy programs. "For example, if a patient compla ins of becoming short of breath at the four-mile mark during a run, a stress test up to one mile will not identify the problem," Dr. Haleem says. "We optimize testing for athletes, and as they have better endurance, we test them further." ACHIEVING PEAK PERFORMANCE A s w it h a ny muscle, hea r t f unction improves according to the kind of training in which the athlete engages. Optimizing function for an athlete's chosen sport requires knowledge of the heart's original capabilities, the desired goa l, and the kind of sport, down to the specific event, in which the athlete participates. The " Patients may never have cardiac symptoms during their normal desk job or day- to-day life, but when they start running, they may experience chest tightness, racing of the heart or palpitations. We want to make sure patients are aware they need to bring these things to our attention." — JAMES LYONS, MD, DIRECTOR OF THE HEART FAILURE PROGRAM AT THE HEART CENTER James Lyons, MD, Director of the Heart Failure Program at The Heart Center, consults with a patient. Kamran Haleem, MD, Medical Director of the Cardio- oncology Program, the Non-invasive Vascular Program and the Echocardiography Program at Health Quest, reviews a patient's 3-D echocardiogram. 0 7 M D N E W S .C O M /// M D N E W S M I D H U D S O N ■ 2 017