26th Bethesda Conference Recommendations for Determining Eligibility for Competition in Athletes with Cardiovascular Abnormalities, January 6-7, 1994. (J Am Call Cardiol, 1994;24:845-899).
It is often difficult for a physician to define limitations and restrictions. The 26th Bethesda Conference dealt with these issues and the conclusions are presented in a series of articles.1 Limitations denote the limits of the individual's capacity to perform activity. They should be measurable, although motivation and cooperation affect such measurements significantly (4th ed., 170). Restrictions apply to activities the individual can perform, but because of risk assessment, the physician recommends against such activity. Risk assessment is much less measurable than capacity, so restrictions involve more judgment.
The 26th Bethesda Conference panel reviewed the literature and reached consensus on safe recommendations for athletes with cardiovascular disease. While the focus of the conference was...
