Sports Cardiology Clinic

Boston Children’s Sports Cardiology Clinic helps young competitive athletes who have known or suspected heart disease. Patients are typically seen by our clinic’s cardiology nurse practitioners and cardiology fellows, who work directly with our attending staff of cardiologists who have expertise in sports and exercise in the context of congenital heart disease (CHD), including conditions such as arrhythmias and coronary artery disease. Our team also consults with Boston Children’s experts in connective tissue disorders and adult congenital heart disease care if needed.

We comprehensively review your child’s symptoms and prior cardiac tests, and we perform any necessary additional testing — all within the context of sports and exercise. If your child has heart disease, we then review their testing results in a meeting with heart specialists and experts from other medical disciplines. From there, we work with your child, family, sports team, and other stakeholders to include your goals in the crafting of plans for your child to safely participate in sports and physical activity.

• Athletes 8 years and older who are suspected of having or were diagnosed with any type of heart disease, including congenital heart disease, arrythmias (including children who have a pacemaker), and cardiomyopathy.
• Children who have had screening such as an electrocardiogram (ECG) or echocardiogram to test for heart disease. Our team can help determine whether the findings represent heart disease or athletic conditioning, or if a family history of heart disease is a factor.
• Children who have been experiencing potential cardiac symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, or dizziness when they exercise.
• Adolescents and young adults with cardiac conditions who are thinking about physically active professions such as military service, law enforcement, and firefighting. They are tactical athletes who may benefit from an evaluation and discussion before entering formal training.

Our team may recommend testing that will help us best understand your child’s heart within the context of the sport they play. Exercise stress testing could have your child running on a treadmill, riding a stationary bike, or using a rowing machine. For some children, testing can involve measuring their cardiac and pulmonary exercise capacity to help understand symptoms. Some children may benefit from ECG monitors that can be worn during exercise, or they may benefit from an echocardiogram or ultrasound of the heart — including one done with the exercise test — or a cardiovascular MRI.

Before your family comes to our clinic, please send the results of any previous testing to our office for clinical review. Please also complete this form to provide us with details of your child’s medical history and the reason for the visit. If your child needs an exercise stress test, they should have a nourishing snack an hour beforehand, wear comfortable shoes and clothing for running, and take medications as prescribed. Even if your child is not scheduled for exercise testing, it’s a good idea to bring those items in case plans change.