Olivia Esposito • January 12, 2024
ORCCA Study

The ORCCA study aims to prospectively monitor clinical outcomes in athletes with potentially life‐threatening cardiovascular conditions. The study will assess long‐term cardiovascular outcomes, psychosocial well‐being, and sports eligibility decision‐making in competitive athletes aged 18 to <35 years diagnosed with a cardiovascular condition or borderline finding with potential increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events. Athletes must be participating in competitive sport at the collegiate, semi-professional, professional, elite, or national level at the time of enrollment or within the last two years. Athletes with a qualifying cardiac diagnosis who return to sport, stop voluntarily, or are excluded from sport are eligible.

Attached are 1) a patient information pamphlet, 2) study inclusion criteria, and 3) the easy steps to enroll a patient. To enroll an eligible patient, simply go to our ORCCA study homepage, click the red “Register” tab in the upper right corner, and complete a brief enrollment form. We have found doing this with the patient in the exam room is best and takes less than 2 minutes. The ORCCA study team will contact the patient to obtain formal HIPPA and informed consent. There is a $100 gift to patients who complete enrollment and a $50 gift to patients who complete the follow-up surveys every 6 months. You can find more information on the ORCCA study homepage and in the full ORCCA study protocol recently published in JAHA.

Contributors to the ORCCA study who enroll at least one patient will be recognized as a member of the “ORCCA Study Group”. The ORCCA Study Group will be included on the author’s byline in subsequent publications with individual names listed at the end of the manuscript and registered in Medline.

HCMA Blog

April 30, 2025
Medical Management means using medicines and other non-invasive therapies to relieve symptoms. It's exciting that new treatments for HCM are being studied and that the FDA approved Camzyos in 2022! HCM can cause various symptoms depending on how stiff the heart is, how much scarring (fibrosis) there is, and whether there is obstruction. Some people have no noticeable symptoms. Common symptoms are chest pain/pressure, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, fatigue, palpitations, and brain fog. Syncope (fainting) is dramatic but not as common as the other symptoms. Medications are the first-line treatment for symptoms of HCM. If patients can't take one class of medication, they can try a medication from a different class. Here are some medications used to treat HCM and what they're for: Beta Blockers - make your heart beat slower and relax better. They allow the heart to fill more completely between beats. They can lower blood pressure and relieve symptoms. Calcium Channel Blockers - used to lower blood pressure and slow the heart rate. May reduce symptoms from obstruction in HCM. Myosin Inhibitors - cause the heart to beat with less force. They may reduce obstruction and septal thickness in some patients. Camzyos (mavacamten) is the first of this class of medication. For more information, click HERE . Antiarrhythmics - help to restore normal rhythm in the heart. Blood Thinners - anticoagulants and anti-platelets make it harder for blood to clot. They are prescribed to reduce the risk of stroke. This risk is higher in patients with afib, aflutter, and artificial heart valves. Diuretics , or "water pills," help the kidneys get rid of extra water and salt, reducing swelling in the body. Sodium Channel Blockers - may reduce gradient in obstructive HCM and can treat chest pain. Some also act as antiarrhythmics. Antibiotics - treat or prevent bacterial infections. In HCM, they may be given before dental work to prevent infective endocarditis. To learn more and see the side effects of these medications, click HERE .
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