Sports Cardiology
Heart Program for Student Athletes
Nemours Children’s sports cardiologists work with student athletes to optimize health, fitness and performance. We check your child’s heart before playing a sport to detect issues that may lead to serious health risks. We also assess symptoms like chest pain, dizziness, palpitations and shortness of breath that may indicate a heart problem. And we monitor athletes who have heart disease and help them improve their play, safely.
Our team is part of award-winning heart centers in Delaware and Florida. We work together with electrophysiologists, heart failure specialists, preventive cardiologists, cardiovascular genetics specialists, orthopedic sports medicine specialists, exercise physiologists, pulmonologists, rehabilitation therapists, and others to provide complete care.
Nemours is recognized and active in promoting heart health for kids. We partner with elite organizations to screen players in the communities we serve. We lobby for regional and national programs to protect kids, like bringing CPR education to schools, AED (automated external defibrillator) awareness and adding electrocardiography to sports screening.
Playing sports is an important part of health and well-being for kids of all ages and abilities. We help them play safely and reach peak performance.
Our Services
Our integrated team cares for student athletes who are just starting to play and seasoned athletes who want to up their game. We partner with coaches, athletic trainers, schools and youth programs to provide assessment, training and heart safety guidance.
Our goal is to keep kids healthy and performing at their best. We provide collaborative care up to age 18. Based on your child’s history and symptoms, we assess risk for heart problems and create a plan to keep your child in the game safely. We offer:
- Pre-participation heart screening and sports clearance for athletes at risk for heart problems
- Advanced heart imaging and diagnostic tests, including electrocardiography (EKG), echocardiography (echo) or heart MRI to rule out conditions like cardiomyopathy
- Exercise stress tests, including cardiopulmonary and echo stress tests that assess heart and lung function during exercise on a stationary bike or treadmill
- Electrophysiology (EP) studies that use catheters, or small thin tubes to assess and treat abnormal heart rhythm
- Cardiovascular genetics testing and counseling to uncover genetic risk for heart disease
- Ongoing care management from experts in preventive cardiology, heart failure and cardiomyopathy and others
- Cardiac exercise programs and training designed just for athletes
- Cardiac rehabilitation and fitness programs for kids with heart conditions or recovering from illness or injury
- Counseling and advice on nutrition, sports injury prevention, training, safe play and more
Two Leading Pediatric Heart Centers
Our heart centers offer highly advanced, integrated care just for kids and young adults with congenital heart disease. Learn about our focused programs, innovative research and exceptional outcomes.
Cardiac arrest is when changes in the normal electrical activity of the heart make it suddenly stop beating. Find more from the experts at Nemours KidsHealth®.
An echocardiogram may be part of your child’s sports assessment. Learn what it is and how it’s performed.
What’s an AED? Find more information about automated external defibrillators.
Long QT syndrome is a condition that affects the electrical system of the heart. Learn more about this condition.
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Conditions & Treatments
We see many conditions — far too many to list here. The conditions we treat vary depending on the location and providers selected. Don’t see a condition listed? Call us.
Related Specialties & Programs
Your Child’s Peak Performance
We customize our care to your child’s exact needs. Whether they’re at risk for heart disease, need to clearance to play, recovering from illness or playing with a heart condition, we’re here for you.
Our team has specialized training in pediatric sports cardiology. This expertise is important for your child’s heart-healthy play.
We’re trusted by leading athletic programs. In fact, we’re part of the prestigious Andrews Institute high-school screening program in Northwest Florida offering onsite EKG.
Our team partners with USTA and their National Campus in Orlando’s Lake Nona area to provide annual heart screening for elite tennis athletes.
We’re part of organizations that set the standard of care for student athletes.
Your Child’s Peak Performance
We customize our care to your child’s exact needs. Whether they’re at risk for heart disease, need to clearance to play, recovering from illness or playing with a heart condition, we’re here for you.
Our team has specialized training in pediatric sports cardiology. This expertise is important for your child’s heart-healthy play.
We’re trusted by leading organizations. Nemours specialists provide annual heart screening for elite athletic programs in the communities we serve.
Our on-site pediatric exercise physiology lab is established and well-equipped for kids.
Nemours is part of organizations that set the standard of care for student athletes.
Meet the Team
Nemours sports cardiology teams are experienced and focused on your child's healthiest future. Meet them now.
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Carissa M. Baker-Smith, MD, MPH
Cardiology Director, Preventive Cardiology Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Pediatric Cardiology at Thomas Jefferson University -
Nak Hyun Choi
Cardiology -
Erica Del Grippo, DO
Cardiology Medical Director, Interstage and Single Ventricle Program; and Program Director, Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Assistant Professor of Pediatrics -
Steven B. Ritz, MD
Cardiology Director, Resident and Medical Student Education; Director, Clinical Competency Committee Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Assistant Professor -
Bradley W. Robinson, MD
Cardiology Director, Cardiopulmonary Exercise Lab Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University -
Takeshi Tsuda, MD
Cardiology Director, Cardiac Rehabilitation & Fitness, Director, Cardio-Oncology Professor of Pediatrics at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University -
Abbas Haider Zaidi, MD
Cardiology Medical Director, Outpatient Cardiology Clinic Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University
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Alejandro Redaelli Arevalo, MD
Cardiology Director, Cardiopulmonary Exercise Lab-PensacolaPrimary Office
Pensacola, FL -
Bahram Kakavand, MD
Cardiology Director, Cardiopulmonary Exercise Lab-OrlandoPrimary Office
Orlando, FL
Convenient Follow-Up Appointments by Video
We offer follow-up appointments through scheduled, live video visits. You can avoid waiting rooms and save travel time. Ask your doctor if this is an option for your family.