Pedi CardioRef
Reference: ACC/AHA Sports Participation Recommendations (Circulation 2015) Task Force 8: Coronary Artery Disease

participate in organized sports?

Should my patient with Coronary Artery Disease participate in organized sports?

Coronary Artery Spasm


Need to know:

Controlled with medications

"It is reasonable that athletes whose symptoms and objective evidence of spasm can be controlled with medications be allowed to participate in all levels of competition."

All sports = reasonable

(Class IIb Recommendation; Level of Evidence C)

Silent ischemia, arrhythmias, absence of pain

"It is reasonable to restrict the small subset with silent ischemia caused by coronary artery spasm who have had documented life-threatening arrhythmias and in whom the absence of clinical pain impedes identification of an adequate response to therapy to sports with low dynamic and low to moderate static demands."

Restrict to low dynamic and low to moderate static sports

(Class IIa Recommendation; Level of Evidence C)

Reference: Eligibility and Disqualification Recommendations for Competitive Athletes With Cardiovascular Abnormalities: Task Force 8: Coronary Artery Disease. A Scientific Statement From the AHA and ACC. Circulation 2015

Disclaimer: This website is derived from published guidelines, but does not constitute medical advice nor does it replace clinical judgement. Only the text in quotation marks are direct quotations from the original guidelines. Text not in quotations as well as the method of information display are all that of the website creator and are not part of the original published guidelines. Please consult a physician to discuss any patient-specific matters.

Key: LVEF = LV ejection fraction, MI = myocardial infarction