Activity

Our group has evaluated more than 6,000 competitive and amateur athletes during the last 6 years, from all nacionalities and etnies. Our partnership with the Catalan Council for Sports (Catalan Government) and FC Barcelona has provided the opportunity to quickly be imbedded in the world of high performance sport. 

A regular and routine screening is perfomred at the corresponding sportive centers and whenever an abnormality is detected, the subject is transferred to our Cardiobvascular Institute where a second line of tests and specific treatments can be provided. 

Lines of care

PRE-PARTICIPATION SCREENING

The assessment of each athlete by a cardiac evaluation including interview, physical exam, 12-lead ECG, echocardiogram and stress test; this comprehensive evaluation rules out most of the diseases that cause sudden death in athletes. Our group has extensive experience in this area.

TREATMENT OF HEART DISEASE IN ATHLETES

Our Unit has extensive experience in the treatment of heart diseases in athletes taking into account the special characteristics of this group and always considering the equilibrium between willingness of continuing sport practice and the safety of the athlete: 

· Arrhythmias

· Valve Disease

· Congenital heart Disease

· Cardiomyopathy

TEACHING

Course organization

Fellowship

Dissemination activities among sports physician and exercise physicist

RESEARCH

Adaptation of the heart to exercise

Pre-participation screening; utility, teaching and safety

· Potential harm on the heart: Atrial fibrillation pathogenesis; research in animal model (marathon rat) and athletes

· Ventricular fibrosis

Professionals

Elena Arbelo Lainez

Josep Brugada Terradellas

Head of Unit

Ivo Roca Luque

Maria Sanz de la Garza

Consultant cardiologist

Marta Sitges Carreño

Senior Specialist at Hospital Clínic; In charge of the Working Group on Sports Cardiology

Bàrbara Vidal Hagemeijer

The medical team is 100% dedicated to the hospital. Athletes are always evaluated by the same team of doctors, all members of the Group of Sports Cardiology are sub-specialized and have extensive experience in alterations that are associated with high-level athletes.

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Equipment

  • DIGITAL
    ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY

  • ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY
    WITH STATE OF THE
    ART MODALITIES


    3D, strain imaging, Tissue
    Doppler Imaging

  • EXERCISE
    ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY

  • TREADMILL STRESS
    TESTCARDIAC MAGNETIC
    RESONANCE

  • CARDIAC TOMOGRAPHY


    Non invasive coronariography

  • ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL
    STUDY


    Diagnosis & treatment arrhythmyas

  • AMBULATORY CONTINUOUS
    ECG MONITORING

  • CARDIAC
    CORONARIOGRAPHY

  • CARDIAC SURGERY
    AND PERCUTANEOUS
    THERAPY OR

Process

 

ONE STOP CLINIC FOR PRE-PARTICIPATIVE SCREENING - 1 HOUR EVALUATION

· Focused clinical interview and physical examination 

· 12-lead ECG

· Echocardiography

· Stress test
 

2ND LINE (WHENEVER ABNORMALITIES ARE FOUND IN STEP 1) - 1 WEEK

· Cardiac magnetic resonace

· Cardiac Tomography

· Electrophysological study

· Ambulatory continuous ECG monitoring
 

EXPERT OPINION
   

Our results

Sports Cardiology screening

cardiology

Screening in

+6.000

Athletes

 cardiology
percutaneous coronary

1 of 40


Requires 2º line of investigation

 percutaneous coronary

1 of 160

Requires specific treatment for continuing sport practice

 percutaneous coronary

1 of 350

Had a severe heart disease and was disqualified for sport practice

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