For young athletes who have a heart condition or may be at a higher risk for a sudden cardiac event, our team at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, provides evaluation and management to help your child safely participate in sports and other physical activities.

Our team includes pediatric cardiologists experienced in treating children and young adults of all ages with all types of heart conditions. Our team also includes an exercise physiologist who provides prescriptions for exercise, guiding patients on what activities they can and cannot participate in, depending on their condition and individual needs.

We work with patients and families to create fitness plans to safely engage in exercise and sports, and work with our young athlete patients to provide “return to play” guidance to help them safely return to sports and physical activity after illness or treatment.

Our Services

For patients who may have a higher risk of adverse effects from sports and physical activity, we provide heart disease screening. Patients who may need screening include:

• Children and young adults from families with a higher risk or known family history of certain heart conditions, or family history of sudden/young death from cardiac events
• Children and young adults with high-risk diseases such as:
  • Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC)
  • Congenital heart disease
  • Coronary anomalies
  • Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
  • Long QT syndrome
  • Other cardiomyopathies
  • Other channelopathies (genetic abnormalities in heart cell proteins that affect the heart’s rhythm)
• Children and young adults with exercise-induced symptoms – such as exercise-induced chest pain, palpitations, or syncope (temporary loss of consciousness caused by a drop in blood pressure) – who don’t already have a known diagnosis
• Sports pre-participation screening, including required EKG/ECG screenings for sports physicals

Diagnostic Tests

There are several different tests that may be involved in evaluating patients. The tests your child may need will vary and may include:

• Echocardiogram
• Electrocardiogram
• Cardiac MRI
• Cardiac CT
• Exercise stress test
• Genetic testing

The tests your child receives will depend on their individual condition and symptoms, family history, and other factors.

What to Expect

During your child’s first appointment we will review their medical history with you, including the reason for their visit, any medications they have been taking, past treatments they have received, and a physical exam.

This visit also typically includes exercise testing, either on a treadmill or a bicycle, to assess how your child’s heart and lungs respond to physical exertion.

During your child’s appointment we will review the results of the testing with you and discuss your child’s diagnosis and treatment and answer any questions you may have. We will also discuss with you if your child needs any additional testing.