The Exercise and Sports Cardiology Clinic at Arkansas Cardiology specializes in the evaluation and care of athletes. Our team has extensive experience in evaluating, diagnosing and treating athletes with a wide range of heart conditions. We help elite professionals, college athletes, recreational exercisers and others. We understand the unique physiology and needs of highly active people.

Charles R. Caldwell Jr, MD, FACC

Jay D. Geoghagan, MD, FACC

Kailie English, B.S. | Exercise Science

• An athlete who has concerning cardiac symptoms.
• An athlete or regular exerciser experiencing an unexplained decrease in performance should be evaluated for potential causes..
• An athlete who has known cardiovascular disease and wants to know how they can safely exercise.
• An athlete who seeks to improve his/her cardiovascular performance.
• An athlete whose sports eligibility needs to be assessed through pre-participation screening and cardiac clearance to return to play.
• An athlete with a family history of cardiovascular disease who wants a detailed assessment of cardiovascular risk and appropriate screening.

Patients will be evaluated by a cardiologist and an exercise physiologist who will listen to their concerns, test them and work with them to develop a treatment or exercise training plan that helps meet their goals.

The evaluation and treatment are tailored to the patients needs and may include:

• A full clinical evaluation, including assessment of symptoms, medical and athletic history, and a comprehensive physical examination.
• Electrocardiogram and echocardiogram.
• A breathing assessment, which is done with pulmonary function tests.
• A cardiopulmonary exercise test using a mask that measures oxygen use during exercise on a treadmill, bicycle or other device. This test provides information on maximal heart rates, peak oxygen consumption (VO-2 max) and anaerobic threshold. The test results may be useful to a coach or personal trainer. An excercise prescription can be generated for this.
• Blood tests and other laboratory testing.
• Other cardiovascular testing as needed. Examples include cardiac computerized tomography (CT) scan to assess coronary arteries and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess the heart muscle.

Common Issues Addressed:

• Abnormal electrocardiogram (EKG), stress test, or echocardiogram in athletes or active patients.
• Chest pain, fainting, palpitations, or shortness of breath with exercise.
• Unexplained decrease in exercise tolerance.
• Abnormal sports screening test.