Could Too Much Cycling Cause Heart Problems?

[ColinOldnCranky]

There are multiple instances of cardiac arrhythmia daily all over the country.
Is there evidence that long term exercise is likely to increase the risk of VT, VF?
I've not heard of it thus far.

Apologies warthog, I was not trying to make a cause and effect of my exercise to my SCA.

Rather the point that I was attempting to make is that DESPITE much exercise and the resultant great plumbing, the risk of electrical problems was still there.

I am not particularly concerned given my level of exercise. Far better that I do than don't, for my physical and mental health imo.

Which is exactly the situation I was in. Great plumbing. But not so the electrics. So it is worth checking out the electrics as there may be a hidden risk unassociated with fitness. There are a range of arrhythmias that give warnings. If it happens to be an SCA it will almost certainly be followed by death.

Good quality CPR can maintain enough perfusion of the brain for some time prior to defibrillation. Mechanical CPR even more so.
Yes unlikely to recieve both outside of hospital quickly.

Even with early CPR, outside of hospital the chances of survival are not good. A statement I've heard in information sessions and used in submissions to relevant inquiries is "for every minute without defib your chances of survival drop 10%". Glib and probably lacking in scientific rigour but based in reality. And even if survived, there is usually residual damage to heart muscle and/or brain.

I am not talking about rare events. In Australia SCA's account for 30,000 deaths each year. Survivors are rare. Only 27% attended to by ambos survive due to response times of 6 to 8 minutes. Only 7% to 10% of sufferers survive overall.

SCAs do not give fair warning, hence the imperative to have relevant tests regardless of fitness levels.

[warthog1]

Rather the point that I was attempting to make is that DESPITE much exercise and the resultant great plumbing, the risk of electrical problems was still there.

I am not particularly concerned given my level of exercise. Far better that I do than don't, for my physical and mental health imo.

Which is exactly the situation I was in. Great plumbing. But not so the electrics. So it is worth checking out the electrics as there may be a hidden risk unassociated with fitness. There are a range of arrhythmias that give warnings. If it happens to be an SCA it will almost certainly be followed by death.

I am not a cardiologist or doctor, just an ambo.
I am not aware of the proportion of people who develop life threatening arrhythmias with otherwise healthy coronary arteries.
My experience and understanding is that it is not common.
Particularly those that develop into pulseless VT or VF.

Even with early CPR, outside of hospital the chances of survival are not good. A statement I've heard in information sessions and used in submissions to relevant inquiries is "for every minute without defib your chances of survival drop 10%". Glib and probably lacking in scientific rigour but based in reality. And even if survived, there is usually residual damage to heart muscle and/or brain.

Don't disagree. You were very lucky.

I am not talking about rare events. In Australia SCA's account for 30,000 deaths each year. Survivors are rare. Only 27% attended to by ambos survive due to response times of 6 to 8 minutes. Only 7% to 10% of sufferers survive overall.

SCAs do not give fair warning, hence the imperative to have relevant tests regardless of fitness levels.

Most of those sudden cardiac arrests are from a heart attack where a plaque within a blood vessel supplying the heart muscle ruptures and the blood vessel becomes blocked.
The area of the heart supplied by that blood vessel becomes ischaemic (short of oxygen) it becomes unable to pump correctly and can lead to lethal arrhythmia.
This is far more common than a spontaneous lethal arrhythmia in an otherwise healthy heart. Both my experience and what I have been taught.
Exercise, healthy diet and healthy weight helps reduce the amount of fatty plaques that develop in our coronary blood vessels.
Some are more predisposed than others to developing fatty plaques in their arteries. Usually indicated by a familial history of heart disease.
Yes it is good to have regular checkups with our Doctor, particularly as we get older.

[warthog1]

Well I had a quick look at the term "sudden cardiac arrest"
This came up.
https://www.heartregistry.org.au/2013/0 ... rt-attack/
It agrees with you Colin.
We see plenty of people having heart attacks.
Sudden unexplained collapse and arrest is far more rare.
Anyway if you have close relatives with some forms of arrhythmia it us suggesting screening is required as you say Colin.

[ColinOldnCranky]

Even with early CPR, outside of hospital the chances of survival are not good. A statement I've heard in information sessions and used in submissions to relevant inquiries is "for every minute without defib your chances of survival drop 10%". Glib and probably lacking in scientific rigour but based in reality. And even if survived, there is usually residual damage to heart muscle and/or brain.

Don't disagree. You were very lucky.

Thanks. More than the rest of us you would appreciate just HOW lucky. In view of the delay for defib it's fair to go way past "very" to Extremely lucky.

Keep up the work warthog.