AHSF Blog/Videos

While we strongly promote prevention of heart disease through screening and early detection, we also wish everyone to be educated about the symptoms that could indicate an active cardiovascular problem.

A meeting was convened in October 2012 by the American College of Cardiology’s subsection on Sports and Exercise Cardiology.  The proceedings from that meeting, entitled “Protecting the Heart of the American Athlete,” were just published.  Here are the highlights that deal with 5 common symptoms of heart disease in athletes.Read more

Many of our patients tell us that they are athletic, not athletes. How do we decide who’s an athlete and who’s not?

The American College of Cardiology recently released the proceedings from a meeting on sports and exercise cardiology that took place in October 2012.  The document states that there is no agreement on how to define an athlete!Read more

What are the coronary arteries?

The coronary arteries are the blood vessels that run on the surface of the heart, bringing blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the heart muscle.  As you can see on the image below, each coronary artery has a name that corresponds to its location on the surface of the heart.Read more

There has been a great deal of buzz around Google’s announcement of their plan to develop a “pill” that will circulate in the blood stream to detect early forms of cancer and give warning signs about impending cardiac complications.  Thissounds like science fiction, but who knows?  We certainly wish them the best success in this endeavor.

But do we really need to wait for these futuristic projects to be able to detect heart disease early?  I wrote an Op Ed for the San Jose Mercury News which you may find informative.

Last Sunday, an experienced marathon runner in his mid-50’s collapsed a few yards from the finish line during the Road2Hope half-marathon in Hamilton, Ontario.  Regrettably, the paramedics were unable to resuscitate him.  This unfortunate story illustrates the rare but tragic phenomenon of exercise-induced sudden cardiac arrest.Read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    

October 22, 2014

BAY AREA’S FIRST SPORTS CARDIOLOGY CLINIC DEBUTS

Athletic Heart of San Francisco demystifies cardiology with comprehensive cardiovascular screening for professional athletes and weekend warriors

SAN FRANCISCO – Athletic Heart of San Francisco (AHSF) has officially opened its doors as the first dedicated sports cardiology clinic in the Bay Area. Established by sports cardiology specialist Dr. Michel Accad, AHSF was created to meet the unique needs of athletic individuals. With sudden cardiac arrest remaining a national health epidemic and the leading cause of death among athletes, AHSF offers a robust combination of tests and individualized evaluations to screen for heart disease and other cardiac complications that could unknowingly put an athlete’s health at risk. AHSF also provides outpatient consultations and treatment for athletes and patients with heart disease who want to resume or engage in intense exercise.Read more

The American Heart Association recently published an excellent document that very comprehensively examines the  12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) as a tool to screen populations of youth and young adults (age range 12-25).

This will be a very useful reference document for years to come.  It covers medical, technical, logistical, socioeconomic, legal, and ethical aspects of screening in great detail, and lists a vast number of references.

The final recommendation against endorsing the use of the ECG for “mandatory and universal mass screening” is unsurprising, and was anticipated by most attendees of the recent Sports and Exercise Cardiology Summit.Read more

In late September, the non-profit organization No More Broken Hearts  was launched to raise awareness of the need of screenings to prevent heart attacks and strokes.  It was a superb gathering of family, friends and interested in heart health. The setting was a lively, comfortable, residential block celebration with music, drinks, Absolute BBQ Express food truck caterers and many fun festivities.

As Victoria Dupuy, the founder of No More Broken Hearts, began her quest, Athletic Heart of San Francisco was on a similar timeline, coming into existence to fill the need for cardiovascular screenings. The paths of Athletic Heart of San Francisco and No More Broken Hearts came together with the help of S.H.A.P.E. (Society for Heart Attack Prevention and Eradication).Read more

I have recently returned from attending the 3rd Annual Sports Cardiology Summit of the American College of Cardiology.  This year, the meeting took place in Hoosier territory.

The meeting was informative, and it was gratifying to see the growing interest in sports cardiology.  The presentations were for the most part excellent.  The faculty came from all corners of the country and from overseas.  Dr. Sharma, a pediatric cardiologist from Britain, runs one of the largest youth screening program in the world, the sports cardiology unit of St. George Hospital in London.  He is also the medical director for the London marathon.Read more

We are excited to open our doors to the community very shortly.  In the meantime, feel free to call us for any inquiries or drop us a note through the contact page.