The Netherlands Sports Cardiology Map: a step towards sports cardiology network medicine for patient and athlete care
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 24, 2025

3D Whole-heart Myocardial Tissue Analysis
Published on: April 12, 2017
J C van Hattum1, S M Verwijs2, R Rienks3
1Department of Cardiology, Heart Center, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. j.c.vanhattum@amsterdamumc.nl.
Abstract:
Sports cardiology is a rapidly evolving subspecialty of cardiology, with a growing demand for expertise. To improve patient care, clinicians, patients, and athletes (recreational to elite) should be able to easily identify specialised care pathways, expertise centres and clinicians with sports cardiology expertise. To this purpose, several international societies and organisations recommend establishing a local and national sports cardiology infrastructure. We therefore aimed to establish The Netherlands Sports Cardiology Map. We conducted a web-based survey, which was published on the Netherlands Society of Cardiology home page (2019-2020) and in which each cardiology department or clinic was asked to provide information on sports cardiology expertise and the current infrastructure. Of the 46 respondent centres, 28 (61%) reported that they had expertise in sports cardiology, of which 22 (79%) had specific expertise in one or more specific types of sports. Integrated multidisciplinary meetings were reported by 43% of the centres (n = 12/28). Only two centres reported ongoing research projects that had been approved by an institutional review board. The Netherlands Sports Cardiology Map is an important step towards improving the existing infrastructure and developing network medicine for sports cardiology.
Related Concept Videos
Cardiomyopathy V: Interprofessional Care
Introduction Cardiac Emergencies
Exercise Stress Test
Exercise stress testing, commonly known as a treadmill test, is a noninvasive procedure used to evaluate cardiovascular function and diagnose heart conditions.
Definition
An exercise stress test measures the heart's response to exertion using a treadmill or stationary bicycle. Chest electrodes record the heart's electrical activity through an ECG, and blood pressure is monitored regularly.
Purposes
Pathophysiology of Cardiac Performance
Cardiomyopathy III: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System V: CT

