Performance-related workload in alpine skiing with congenital heart disease.

The present case report assesses the individual performance-related workload in three male children with left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction during alpine skiing. Spirometric data (VO(2)) and heart rate (HR) were monitored during alpine skiing in various terrains according to the subject's performance level. A portable spirometric device was used for on-slope data sampling. Relative workload was calculated in relation to peak cardiorespiratory values, obtained during an incremental laboratory cycle test. On the slope the subjects reached 78% to 103% of their peak ergometric HR and a VO(2peak) of 65% to 100%. Young beginners and intermediates with LVOT obstruction seem to face a high cardiorespiratory stress during alpine skiing. For the beginner, an additional load is seen during uphill sidestepping with skis. In children suffering from congenital heart disease, physiological aspects of sports activities such as skiing should not be viewed separately from the possibilities of sports participation and social interactions.