A medical model is used to examine liability issues related to cardiac rehabilitation programs. Obtaining effective informed consent from patients, standardizing policies and procedures, and exercise prescription and monitoring are among the proposed elements of a risk management model for developing safe and legally defensible programs. (IAH)

A case report is presented of a 32 year-old male bodybuilder who sustained an ischemic cerebrovascular accident and showed signs of cardiomyopathy. Although no cause was found, the man had been taking steroids for 16 years. Harmful effects of steroid use are discussed. (IAH)

In a roundtable discussion, a panel of experts address how physicians can identify active patients for whom exercise poses the risk of serious heart complications, how useful stress tests are, what exercise intensity is best, and what physicians can tell patients about the risks of exercise versus its benefits. (SM)