Summit Brings Top Heart Docs to Indy
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA gathering of sports cardiology professionals from throughout the world is taking place in Indianapolis. The two-day Sports Cardiology Summit is a collaboration between Indiana University Health and the American College of Cardiology Foundation. It includes discussions on heart risks faced by athletes in sports including football, basketball and soccer.
September 11, 2014
News Release
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The realms of sports, science and safety will come to a crossroads in the Circle City this weekend. For the first time ever, Indiana University Health and the American College of Cardiology Foundation will host their Sports Cardiology Summit in Indianapolis. The goal of the event: to draw the world's leading sports cardiology experts into one place to determine how to best understand and address the latest challenges and unique threats facing the heart of the modern athlete.
“Undiagnosed heart disease is one of the most deadly issues facing athletes today,” said Richard Kovacs, M.D., a cardiologist with the IU Health Cardiovascular Center and co-chair of the annual summit. “Every year, approximately 400 American athletes of all ages and skill levels die from undetected heart abnormalities. We are bringing the field's brightest minds together to brainstorm how best to protect athletes of all ages and keep these preventable deaths from happening.”
The two-day summit, which takes place at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown this Friday, Sept. 12 and Saturday, Sept. 13, will feature special presentations and panel discussions highlighting the unique heart risks facing athletes who play American football, basketball and the world's most popular sport: soccer.
Experts will huddle to discuss the latest research findings in sports cardiology, share the most effective ways of screening athletes of various ages and ethnic backgrounds for deadly heart conditions and examine how sports and exercise can affect an athlete's heart.
Attendees will also participate in workshops, focus groups and roundtable sessions concentrating on important aspects of athlete heart health, including genetic factors, legal policies as well as the next generation of prevention efforts.
Dr. Kovacs, one of the nation's top authorities on sports cardiology, also leads IU Health and IU School of Medicine's efforts to perform cardiovascular screenings on every aspiring football player that comes to Indianapolis for the annual National Football League Scouting Combine.
You can view the full agenda by clicking here.
About the IU Health Cardiovascular Center
The IU Health Cardiovascular Center, in association with the Indiana University School of Medicine—one of the nation’s top-ranked academic teaching hospitals—provides comprehensive services for the most complex, advanced heart, lung and vascular disease problems. The IU Health Cardiovascular team of cardiologists, cardiac surgeons and clinical specialists are nationally recognized and lead the state in implementing innovative procedures and providing premier patient care—from diagnosis to surgery to recovery. Visit www.iuhealth.org/cardiovascular.
Source: Indiana University Health