Dr. María López Blázquez
I am Dr. María López Blázquez, a specialist physician in the Pediatric Cardiology and Familial Cardiopathies Units of UICAR, and responsible for the sports cardiovascular evaluation program in children and adolescents.
What is the Pediatric Cardiology Unit?
It is the unit intended for the care of pediatric patients with any cardiological problem or to rule it out in case of suspected data such as murmur, chest pain or palpitations. Medical assistance is provided in high-resolution in-person Outpatient Consultations (the consultation and basic tests such as echocardiography and electrocardiogram are performed at the same time) or by teleconsultations (focused on second opinions or commenting on results), optimizing patients' time. and their families and, in the second case, avoiding unnecessary travel. In addition, the entire portfolio of necessary complementary diagnostic tests is available, such as Holter ECG, Stress Test and Cardiac Imaging Studies.
What is the Family Heart Disease Unit?
This is the healthcare unit dedicated to the care of cardiovascular problems of genetic, hereditary and/or family origin. They include diseases such as cardiomyopathies, channelopathies (such as long QT syndrome and others), and diseases of the aorta (such as Marfan syndrome). This group of diseases is associated with serious symptoms such as sudden death, and its diagnosis is key to its prevention. We also study rare diseases or those that present as syndromes (such as heart disease in Down syndrome). In addition to the usual outpatient consultations and tests, genetic studies are performed, both in the index case and in family members. The unit has Adult and Pediatric Cardiologists for the detailed and coordinated study of entire families. This integrated information of personal and family clinical and genetic data is used to give specific diagnoses, establish the prognosis, give recommendations in areas such as sports or prescribe specific treatments, preventive therapies (such as implanting a defibrillator) or, where appropriate, an intervention (interventional). , electrophysiological or surgical).
What does the pre-sports cardiovascular evaluation program in children and adolescents consist of?
At UICAR we have developed a cardiovascular evaluation plan prior to sports practice for children and adolescents, including medical consultations and the performance of advanced tests to study the cardiovascular health of our youngest (ECG, Color Doppler Echocardiography, Holter-ECG , Stress Test, and others depending on needs or findings). We are aware of the relevance of an adequate evaluation as a basis for the prevention of unwanted events in sports, aware of the very important social and health impact of physical activity on our patients. We propose an individualized monitoring plan based on the degree of physical activity performed, cardiological diagnosis and family history, as well as training objectives with constant monitoring. We also schedule the return to sports practice after some cardiological intervention and the follow-up plan.
From these units we work with awareness not only to provide the best medical and technical care possible, but also from a more human perspective, with special interest in the young patient and their family.