Article Text
Abstract
Endurance athletes have a high prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF), probably caused by exercise-induced cardiac remodelling. Athletes diagnosed with AF are often advised to reduce the intensity and amount of training but the efficacy of this intervention has not been investigated in endurance athletes with AF. Effects of detraining in endurance athletes with atrial fibrillation is a two-arm international multicentre randomised (1:1) controlled trial on the effects of a period of training adaption on AF burden in endurance athletes with paroxysmal AF.
One-hundred-and-twenty endurance athletes diagnosed with paroxysmal AF are randomised to a 16-week period of intervention (training adaption) or a control group. We define training adaption as training with a heart rate (HR) not exceeding 75% of the individual maximum HR (HRmax), and total duration of weekly training not exceeding 80% of the self-reported average before the study. The control group is instructed to uphold training intensity including sessions with HR ≥85% of HRmax. AF burden is monitored with insertable cardiac monitors, and training intensity with HR chest-straps and connected sports watches. The primary endpoint, AF burden, will be calculated as the cumulative duration of all AF episodes lasting ≥30sec divided by total duration of monitoring. Secondary endpoints include number of AF episodes, adherence to training adaption, exercise capacity, AF symptoms and health-related quality of life, echocardiographic signs of cardiac remodelling and risk of cardiac arrhythmias related to upholding training intensity.
Trial registration number NCT04991337.
Study protocol version 4.7 (Date 9 March 2023).
- Exercise
- Sports medicine
- Athlete
- Endurance
- Cardiology
Data availability statement
No data are available.
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Data availability statement
No data are available.
Supplementary materials
Supplementary Data
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Footnotes
Contributors All authors have contributed to the design of the study. TA and MM drafted the manuscript. All authors read and contributed to the manuscript, gave approval and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Funding This study is funded by The Norwegian Health Association and Vestre Viken Hospital Trust, Norway.
Disclaimer The funders did not have any role in the study design and will not have any role in the collection, management, analysis and interpretation of data or in the writing of the report or decision to submit the report for publication.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research. Refer to the Methods section for further details.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
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