Pedi CardioRef
Reference: ACC/AHA Sports Participation Recommendations (Circulation 2015) Task Force 9: Arrhythmias and Conduction Defects

participate in organized sports?

Should my patient with Syncope participate in organized sports?

Should obtain:

"Athletes with syncope should be evaluated with a history, physical examination, ECG, and selective use of other diagnostic tests when there is suspicion of structural heart disease or primary electrical abnormalities that may predispose to recurrent syncope or sudden death."

(Class I Recommendation; Level of Evidence C)

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Exercise-induced

"Athletes with exercise-induced syncope should be restricted from all competitive athletics until evaluated by a qualified medical professional."

No sports until evaluation

(Class I Recommendation; Level of Evidence B)

Structural heart disease

"Athletes with syncope caused by structural heart disease or primary electrical disorders should be restricted from athletic activities according to the recommendations for their specific underlying cardiovascular condition."

See guidelines for their specific condition

(Class I Recommendation; Level of Evidence C)

Neurally-mediated

"Athletes with neurally mediated syncope can resume all athletic activities once measures are demonstrated to prevent recurrent syncope."

Can resume after measures prevent recurrent syncope

(Class I Recommendation; Level of Evidence C)

Unknown cause

"Athletes with syncope of unknown cause, based on a ruling out of structural or molecular pathogenesis, should not participate in athletics in which transient loss of consciousness can be hazardous."

No sports where transient LOC can be hazardous

(Class III Recommendation; Level of Evidence C)

Reference: Eligibility and Disqualification Recommendations for Competitive Athletes With Cardiovascular Abnormalities. Task force 9: Arrhythmias and Conduction Defects. 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: ECG = electrocardiogram, LOC = loss of consciousness