Athlete’s Heart
Cardiovascular adaptations are changes to your heart that can develop after doing intense exercise several times a week. Cardiovascular adaptations are more commonly known as athlete’s heart.
Athlete’s heart can be mistaken for abnormal enlargement or thickening of your heart. Our team of experts understand that evaluating the heart of a highly active person requires understanding different training and fitness levels. Proper evaluations and testing can help make sure changes to your heart are not caused by a cardiovascular condition.
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Sports Cardiology
In the past, many athletes and highly active people have stopped their sport or profession because of their heart condition. Having to stop doing what you love can cause physical, mental, and financial harm.
Over the past decade, there has been greater recognition of the importance of allowing athletes with certain heart conditions to continue safely in their field. This decision requires a shared agreement between you, your cardiologist, and your sports team or employer. Our team of cardiologists have experience in such shared decision-making and understand the steps that must be in place to ensure your safety.
Sports Cardiology Testing
A large part of sports cardiology involves preparticipation screenings. We perform a careful evaluation of your heart in connection to your athletic routine. Because highly active people tend to have a higher baseline for fitness levels, we customize our approach to make sure you receive the care you need.
Our evaluations are based on understanding both your training routine and the potential cardiovascular adaptations that come from being highly active. An endurance athlete who develops a heart condition may reach normal or even above normal levels on a traditional stress test. We approach your care with these differences in mind to make sure you receive the proper screenings in relation to your fitness level.
If any abnormalities are found during your screening, we make sure appropriate follow-up testing is done. We also provide management and treatment options for your condition. Our goal is to keep you training, playing, and competing safely.
Our sports cardiology team provides care to several sports teams:
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University of Utah athletes
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Utah Jazz
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Salt Lake City Stars
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Salt Lake League One Volleyball pro team
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Utah Hockey Club
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US Ski and Snowboard athletes
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Many other teams
The Importance of AEDs
While testing and appropriate management of underlying cardiac conditions are crucial to preventing sports-related sudden cardiac death, not all events are preventable. Our team supports emergency action plans and automated external defibrillator (AED) availability at sporting venues. Proper access to AEDs is the ultimate safety feature for athletes, coaches, and spectators.