Experts have suggested on how cardiac arrhythmias and sudden deaths can be prevented in endurance athletes. Atrial Fibrillation is a major death threat to these athletes. It is common amongst marathon runners, cyclists, and other athletes who have to undergo endurance training.

Dr Luis Mont of Hospital Clmnic de Barcelona in Spain, says that there is a frequent occurrence of atrial fibrillation in middle-aged persons who took part in endurance sports and are continuing to be active or in those who are involved in endurance training without having participated in competitive sports.

Dr Mont says that Circumferential Pulmonary Vein Ablation (CPVA) is a technique introduced recently. It identifies the signals that cause atrial fibrillation and isolates the source in pulmonary veins from the heart’s left ventricle.

The technique has been used in patients with atrial fibrillation and it has been found to be effective. Another study from mouse model shows that deconditioning reverses the expression of cardiac fibrosis markers in endurance training.

Dr Mont showed people with history of cardiac arrhythmias taking part in endurance training may benefit from a session of deconditioning following their efforts. According to the study, the endurance tests causes changes in cardiac structure, which may play a part in the development of arrhythmias. Losartan, an anti-hypertensive drug may assist in preventing fibrosis of heart induced by endurance training.