The Experiences of Endurance Athletes With Atrial Fibrillation: Tensions and Takeaways.

BACKGROUND: Growing evidence indicates that chronic high-intensity endurance exercise predisposes male, middle-aged athletes to increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). The aetiology of AF in endurance athletes is multifactorial and remains incompletely understood. Despite their unique training demands, AF care in athletes remains largely based on evidence derived from the general population. Understanding the experiences of athletes with AF provides a necessary foundation for addressing challenges in managing their condition and identifying gaps in care. AIM: The purpose of this interpretive descriptive qualitative study was to describe the experiences and perspectives of endurance athletes living with AF. METHOD: Masters athletes diagnosed with AF and aged between 35 and 60 years were recruited internationally through cardiology practices and social media. Ten middle-aged, male endurance athletes with AF and >1,500 lifetime training hours participated in individual, semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: Three key themes were constructed: (1) tensions with training, (2) tensions with treatment plans, and (3) tensions with clinicians. Participants experienced a wide range of symptoms from AF that significantly affected their ability to train, and reacted negatively to medical treatment strategies that affected their exercise capacity and training performance. Athletes experienced tensions with providers who failed to acknowledge their athletic needs. CONCLUSIONS: Our results highlight the unique difficulties that male athletes with AF face in navigating between training and their disease, treatment, and clinicians. Shared decision-making between the athlete and provider is likely necessary for effective management of athletic AF.

Ethicolegal considerations of screening for brain injury in women who have experienced intimate partner violence.

The vast majority of women who experience physical intimate partner violence (IPV) will likely suffer a brain injury (BI) as a result of the abuse. Accurate screening of IPV-BI can ensure survivors have access to appropriate health care and other supports, but screening results may also impact them receiving fair and equitable treatment in the legal system, and the justice they deserve. We used semi-structured interviews, combined with a contrastive vignette that described a realistic but hypothetical scenario involving IPV with or without BI, to explore the impact of BI on parenting disputes. Participants were lawyers (n = 12) whose focus is family law. Results highlight the potential adverse consequences of a positive BI screen that are influenced by the legal responsibility of counsel, the legal aid status of the woman, ongoing family dynamics, and the expectations of society while the focus on the best interests of the child is retained. Taken together, the findings reflect the legal vulnerability of women in decision-making about their capacity to parent after a BI. We conclude with recommendations for the future of IPV-BI screening aimed at mitigating risk and equipping women to navigate a legal system that has disadvantaged them, both historically and in the current context.