Lotueleli heart Condition

[burmafrd]

this happens a lot it seems. Undiagnosed heart condition. Remember when Jim Fix died? People were shocked that it went unnoticed.

[TheFinisher]

Gaines Adams comes to mind too.

[visionary]

Originally Posted by Eskimo

If true I can verify that this is very poor heart function. That is bad enough that you have to start testing him to see what the cause was and to ensure that is not going to be a progressive thing.

I will add that you can't determine ejection fraction off of an ECG. Someone must have done an Echocardiogram on him to determine that after the ECG looked funny.

I can't say for sure how much it would affect him on short football plays early in the game but I think it could cause him to tire out easily during the course of the game.

This could push this guy way, way down in the draft. That test result is a big, big deal. One of the big problems outside of the risk of him fatiguing quickly during games would be the fear that the strain of playing football could cause a life-threatening arrhythmia.

sorry, i cant agree with this

if you read echo reports, ejection fraction is always reported as +/- 5%
there is a reason for this, becasue this measurement is prone to error
if you add 5 to 44, it suddenly becomes 49% which is right there with 50% (i.e. normal)

bottom line is it is too early to say what is going on at presnt
he needs to see a cardiologist who will likely perform a MRI or cardiac cath to determine the cardiac function accurately, then we can all jump off the deep end

[Macnalty]

Originally Posted by visionary

sorry, i cant agree with this

if you read echo reports, ejection fraction is always reported as +/- 5%
there is a reason for this, becasue this measurement is prone to error
if you add 5 to 44, it suddenly becomes 49% which is right there with 50% (i.e. normal)

bottom line is it is too early to say what is going on at presnt
he needs to see a cardiologist who will likely perform a MRI or cardiac cath to determine the cardiac function accurately, then we can all jump off the deep end

Utah DT Star Lotulelei has been told he can continue working out on his own and that he doesn't have a heart condition but rather dehydration, too much sodium in his diet or rapid weight loss in a short timeframe that prompted tests to reveal his heart wasn't pumping at full capacity. USA Today

[Eskimo]

Originally Posted by visionary

sorry, i cant agree with this

if you read echo reports, ejection fraction is always reported as +/- 5%
there is a reason for this, becasue this measurement is prone to error
if you add 5 to 44, it suddenly becomes 49% which is right there with 50% (i.e. normal)

bottom line is it is too early to say what is going on at presnt
he needs to see a cardiologist who will likely perform a MRI or cardiac cath to determine the cardiac function accurately, then we can all jump off the deep end

The real question is true heart and cardiovascular function and better assessed by something like a VO2max to see what kind of output his heart can really produce - stick him on a treadmill and see what he can do on one of their protocols.

I agree that 44% isn't really bad in the medical realm of things. But we are talking about a world class athlete here where small impairments from normal probably mean a great deal.

Also, when I was thinking about it to get an answer like 44% they probably used a nuclear med scan (call them MUGA) up here which can give a more precise answer regarding heart function as compared to standard ECHO with visual estimation. All the ECHO reports I get up here are reported in 5% increments due to the limitations of accuracy in the process.

Regardless, 44% EF is a big deal in a world class athlete and has to be investigated thoroughly before making a multi-million dollar commitment and before putting the player in a potential life-threatening situation. I've seen situations like this before where it could turn out to be something like an idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy or the effects of a viral myocarditis. It'll be interesting to see what comes out of this and if he will be given the green light to continue to play professional football. The biggest risk to him getting on the field isn't going to be his heart function given the short nature of most football plays and the ability to take plays off when fatigued. To me the big question is whether his condition is progressive and whether he may be prone to arrhythmias.

I wish him good luck and good health.

[InmanRoshi]

Originally Posted by Macnalty

Utah DT Star Lotulelei has been told he can continue working out on his own and that he doesn't have a heart condition but rather dehydration, too much sodium in his diet or rapid weight loss in a short timeframe that prompted tests to reveal his heart wasn't pumping at full capacity. USA Today

Sounds like he tried to cut weight for the official weigh in. He definitely played heavier than 310 at Utah, IMHO.