Our sports cardiology clinic offers individualized care for athletes with cardiac symptoms with the goal of safe participation in sports and activities. Le Bonheur Children’s experts can provide assessment before playing a sport to identify any heart problems, evaluate symptoms that might indicate a heart condition and monitor athletes with heart disease during competition.
Le Bonheur serves as the sports cardiology team for Memphis-area colleges including the University of Memphis, Rhodes College and Christian Brothers University.
A Program for Athletes
Le Bonheur Children’s sports cardiology team provides a unique program for the special needs of athletes. Each year, as many as 125 documented sudden cardiac death events occur in the U.S. Athletes perform at high levels and need specialists who understand their needs. At Le Bonheur, you’ll find:
- Specialized care for athletes with suspected, acquired and congenital heart disease
- An integrated clinic with cardiopulmonary stress testing and advanced imaging techniques
- Fast access to cardiac testing and subspecialists
- Coordinated diagnostic and treatment plan with each patient’s primary care doctor
- Second opinion availability
- Efforts to provide exercise prescription for each athlete, not restriction
- Sports Clearance Clinic to return to play as soon as possible
Team approach
At Le Bonheur and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, we work as a team to diagnose and treat each athlete. Our team includes experts in:
- Cardiology
- Pulmonology
- Physical therapy
- Sports nutrition
- Orthopedics
- Sports medicine
Evaluations and screenings
The Heart Institute at Le Bonheur Children’s has the technology and expert physicians to provide a comprehensive evaluation of each individual athlete. This includes:
- Comprehensive athletic and exercise history review
- Thorough cardiovascular examination
- Evaluation of symptoms
- Electrocardiogram and advanced echocardiography
- Cardiopulmonary exercise tests
- Advanced heart imaging including cardiac MRI
- Stress cardiac MRI
- Evaluation for clearance to continue sports participation after cardiovascular surgery
- Evaluation of unexplained deterioration in sports performance
- Evaluation of a known family history of cardiovascular disease (including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, long QT syndrome, Marfan’s, etc.)
- Evaluation of impaired athletic performance due to previous medical treatment
For more information, contact us at 1-866-870-5570.
Project ADAM: Lawson's Legacy
Project ADAM: Lawson’s Legacy at Le Bonheur Children’s promotes and facilitates the prevention of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in children, adolescents and others in schools and communities in the region. By connecting with local schools, Project ADAM: Lawson’s Legacy provides free education, planning and training for implementing a cardiac emergency action plan in the event of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).
Project ADAM (Automated Defibrillators in Adam’s Memory) was founded as a result of 17-year-old Adam Lemel collapsing and dying on a school basketball court. Because of that tragedy, Project ADAM was created to make automated external defibrillators (AEDs) available to school-age children. The national project also seeks to prevent sudden cardiac death through education, prevention and research.
Le Bonheur’s chapter of Project ADAM is called “Lawson’s Legacy” in memory of Lawson Wherry – a healthy and active young adult whose heart showed no signs of dysfunction before it suddenly stopped. To share and further this legacy, his family joined the effort to bring Project ADAM to the Mid-South by creating “Lawson’s Legacy” through Le Bonheur.
Meet Our Sports Cardiology Team
Cardiologists
Dr. Ranjit Philip is an associate professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Dr. Philip completed his fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He has expertise in general pediatric cardiology and non-invasive imaging and serves as director of the Pediatric Cardiology Outpatient Clinic in the Heart Institute at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. Dr. Philip is also team cardiologist for the University of Memphis.
Dr. Harvey is an assistant professor of Pediatric Cardiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He completed his fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Dr. Harvey is a member of the American Heart Association. He has expertise in general pediatric cardiology and non-invasive imaging.
Dr. Hendrickson is an associate professor with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and the Le Bonheur Children's Hospital Heart Institute. He completed a fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles Mattel Children's Hospital followed by a fellowship in Adult Congenital Heart Disease at the Ohio State University Medical Center and Nationwide Children's Hospital. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Pediatrics with a cardiology subspecialty, by the American Board of Internal Medicine with a cardiology subspecialty and by the American Board of Internal Medicine with a subspecialty in Adult Congenital Heart Disease.
Nurse Practitioner
Ryan Stephens is a nurse practitioner for the Adolescent-Adult Congenital Heart Disease (AACHD) Program at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital and a faculty member of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing. Stephens is also the primary nurse practitioner for Adolescent Cardiology, Sports and Exercise Cardiology and directs the Transition Education Clinic (TEC) for patients moving from pediatric cardiac care to adult congenital cardiac care.
