Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41967042›Full record

GuidelineEuropean heart journal2026

Cardiac evaluation of paediatric athletes.

Guido E Pieles, Elena Cavarretta, Jessica J Orchard, Mark Abela, Elena Arbelo, Werner Budts, Silvia Castelletti, Guido Claessen, Domenico Corrado, Giovanni Di Salvo and 20 more

Abstract readConsensus StatementPractice Guideline
In one paragraph

Guideline in European heart journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

30 authors.

Guido E PielesSports Cardiology and Screening Department, ASPETAR Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Sports City Street, Aspire Zone, PO Box 29222, Doha, Qatar.ORCID 0000-0003-1203-688X
Elena CavarrettaDepartment of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Latina, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-0221-6000
Jessica J OrchardSydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-5702-7277
Mark AbelaDepartment of Cardiology, Mater Dei Hospital, Msida, Malta.ORCID 0000-0003-1050-1637
Elena ArbeloArrhythmia Section, Cardiology Department, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID 0000-0003-0424-6393
Werner BudtsDivision of Cardiovascular Diseases, University Hospitals Leuven and Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven-University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0001-5850-5413
Silvia CastellettiCardiothoracic Department, University Hospital Santa Maria della Misericordia, Udine, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-9693-4083
Guido ClaessenFaculty of Medicine and Life Sciences/LCRC, UHasselt, Hasselt, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0001-8261-6666
Domenico CorradoDepartment of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua Medical School, Padua, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-1487-0392
Giovanni Di SalvoDepartment of Woman and Child Health, Paediatric Cardiology and Congenital Cardiology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-0305-0113
Gherardo FinocchiaroCardiology Research Centre, St George's University of London, London, UK.ORCID 0009-0006-7040-2832
Peter FritschCenter for Pediatric Cardiology and Sportscardiology, Graz, Austria.
Sabiha GatiDepartment of Cardiology, Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-0199-5092
Stephan GerlingDepartment of Pediatric Cardiology, University Children's Hospital Regensburg (KUNO), Hospital St.Hedwig of the Order of St. John, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-3296-3197
M Cecilia Gonzalez-CorciaPediatric Cardiology and Electrophysiology, Cliniques Universitaires Sainte Justine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-4289-049X
Aneil MalhotraInstitute of Sport, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-8670-3764
Viviana MaestriniDepartment of Clinical, Internal, Anesthesiological and Cardiovascular Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-3225-8378
Josef NiebauerUniversity Institute of Sports Medicine, Prevention and Rehabilitation and Research Institute of Molecular Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.ORCID 0000-0002-2811-9041
David NiederseerDepartment of Cardiology, Hochgebirgsklinik Davos, Medicine Campus Davos, Davos, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0003-3089-1222
Michael PapadakisCardiology Research Centre, St George's University of London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-0616-2353
Renate OberhofferChair of Preventive Paediatrics, Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-3166-0488
Antonio PellicciaInstitute of Sport Medicine and Science, Italian National Olympic Committee, Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-4174-3401
Nathan RidingFaculty of Medical Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-6267-5984
María Sanz-de la GarzaCardiovascular Institute, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona and Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.ORCID 0000-0003-3199-9577
Georgia Sarquella-BrugadaPediatric Arrhythmias, Inherited Cardiac Diseases and Sudden Death Unit, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-6857-8904
Sanjay SharmaCardiology Research Centre, St George's University of London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-3630-6138
Alan Graham StuartBristol Congenital Heart Centre, The Bristol Heart Institute, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-2789-2216
Monica TiberiDepartment of Health, Sports Medicine Outpatient Clinic, Azienda Sanitaria Territoriale Pesaro-Urbino, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-3806-7265
Alessandro ZorziDepartment of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua Medical School, Padua, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-3578-0583
Flavio D'AscenziDepartment of Medical Biotechnologies, Sports Cardiology and Rehab Unit, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-0947-6836

Funding

National Health and Medical Research Council 2016730
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Paediatric athletes are not simply 'mini adults'. Most existing recommendations for cardiac screening in paediatric athletes are primarily based on evidence in adults and are designed for adult athletes. Paediatric-specific recommendations are needed due to the specifics of cardiac physiology, maturation and growth, age-related disease expression, modified diagnostic pathways, training adaptations, and to address relevant ethical considerations. This clinical consensus document from the European Association of Preventive Cardiology (EAPC) of the ESC and the Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC) introduces specific advice for paediatric athletes for the first time, based on expert consensus, and where available, data from paediatric athlete populations. Members of the writing group voted anonymously on key advice statements, with ≥80% agreement required for consensus. All advice in this document applies to paediatric athletes aged <16 years, including those under 12 years of age. This document advises that cardiac screening of paediatric athletes with personal and family medical history, physical examination and 12-lead resting electrocardiogram (ECG) should be performed and should start no later than the age of 12 years. Implementing a screening programme requires ensuring the availability of necessary healthcare resources. One transthoracic echocardiogram may be appropriate to identify high-risk structural cardiac diseases not identifiable on ECG, provided appropriate infrastructure for baseline diagnostic assessments is in place. This document also includes suggested definitions of normal, borderline and abnormal ECG findings in paediatric athletes. Detailed advice is provided for further evaluation if suspicious findings are identified on initial tests. This document highlights that further research is required to optimise screening strategies, accurately assess and quantify the risk of sudden cardiac death and provide evidence-based eligibility recommendations for paediatric athletes with cardiac disease. It is also noted that increased opportunities for paediatric sports cardiology training are required to provide adequate medical care for the paediatric athlete population.

Indexed as

AthletesEchocardiographyHeart DiseasesAdolescentChildDeath, Sudden, CardiacElectrocardiographyFemaleHumansMaleMass ScreeningPhysical ExaminationElectrocardiogramPaediatric athletesScreeningSudden cardiac death

Identifiers

PMID41967042
PMCPMC13225883

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.