When the heart storms, stumbles or stands still

A map of the heart currents

But how do you find out where the disorder originates? “We are now able to create an actual ‘electrical map’ of the heart,” explains Firat Duru. “To do this, we use a catheter to provoke the heart muscle and simultaneously measure how the electrical currents spread via two other catheters.” The site causing the disruption is then locally sclerosed using radio frequency energy. As a rule, patients can go home again on the same day.
In some people, however, the problem does not lie at a single point, but in the heart muscle itself. The dangerous muscle disease is difficult to detect. “Unfortunately, sudden cardiac death is often the first sign of this disease,” says Firat Duru. It’s an image that many people have been familiar with since the European Football Championships in summer 2021: a footballer who suddenly collapses and can only be saved thanks to immediate resuscitation.

Still too often recognized too late

This insidious disease has a complicated name: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). Very little is known about it to this day. In many cases, the disease is inherited, and it is often favored by great physical exertion, as occurs in top-class sport. “In professional football, health checks with stress tests are now routine in many places,” says Firat Duru. If there is the slightest suspicion of irregularities, the athletes are sent to a medical center for in-depth clarification.

“However, the diagnosis is still difficult to make, so the disease is often not recognized and underestimated,” adds Corinna Brunckhorst. Exactly ten years ago, together with Firat Duru, she founded a focus center for ARVC at the University Heart Centre and built up a specialized team. Together, they are researching this complex and underestimated disease in search of specific biomarkers, influencing factors of sport and hormones as well as clear diagnostic criteria. “We often indicate the need for an implantable defibrillator for those affected.” In the event of an acute, life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia, the defibrillator delivers an electric shock that restores normal heart activity. “This is life insurance for the patients, many of whom are still young.”

However, both cardiologists emphasize that ARVC is relatively rare and general screening is not indicated for amateur athletes. However, it is crucial to take care of your heart health and maintain a healthy lifestyle. “The heart is the only organ that we can feel so directly,” says Corinna Brunckhorst with a smile, “so we should pay all the more attention to it.”