Long-Term Risk Assessment in Athletes With Complex Ventricular Arrhythmias

Ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) are a major concern in athletes. We sought to determine the prognostic role of noninvasive and invasive assessments in athletes with complex VAs.

One-hundred-ninety athletes (82% men; 28 [19-43] years; 148 [78%] competitive athletes) with frequent or exercise-induced premature ventricular complexes or nonsustained ventricular tachycardia were included in a multicenter cohort study and categorized based on VA ECG morphology into common (n=99) and uncommon (n=91) VA groups. Each athlete underwent a comprehensive diagnostic workup, including cardiac magnetic resonance in 94% (n=178) and electrophysiology study/electroanatomical mapping in 87% (n=166). The primary end point was the occurrence of sudden death or sustained VAs during long-term follow-up.

Athletes with uncommon VA morphology had higher rates of abnormal findings at multimodality assessment and more final diagnoses of structural heart disease. Over a median follow-up of 6.2 (4.3-8.1) years, 7 (4%) athletes experienced a primary outcome event, including 1 sudden death. Interestingly, no events occurred in athletes with common morphology VAs. In univariable Cox models, factors associated with the primary end point included uncommon VA morphology (P=0.003), lack of VA suppression (P=0.049), and nonsustained ventricular tachycardia/ventricular tachycardia induction (P=0.010) during stress testing, late gadolinium enhancement (P=0.045), electroanatomical scar regions (P=0.022), and sustained VA inducibility by electrophysiology study (P<0.001). Incorporating findings of invasive tests improved prediction of primary outcome events over clinical/noninvasive findings in isolation (log-likelihood ratio for nested models, P=0.004). A survival tree model based on VA morphology, late gadolinium enhancement, VA response to exercise testing, and electroanatomical mapping allowed risk stratification, identifying subgroups of athletes without primary outcome events during follow-up. Among 148 competitive athletes, 101 (68%) regained eligibility after 3 months of detraining, but only 42 (28%) continued long-term.

A comprehensive diagnostic assessment integrating ECG, stress testing, and imaging findings, along with the selective use of invasive electrophysiology assessments, may help refine the prognostic evaluation of athletes with complex VAs.