Bradycardia

[Bunnybigears]

I think that's how you spell it. Basically low heart rate. My 9 year old collapsed at the weekend, possibly just due to overheating combined with slightly low blood sugar. (he was at an event in a very hot room wearing a very thick costume and had very little to eat) However due to some peoe who witnessed the collapse thinking he was fitting the hospital ran many checks.
Nothing conclusive found however they say he does have Bradycardia however believe this may be athletes Bradycardia as he swims competitively and puts in 10 to 12 hours of fairly intensive (for a 9 year old) training a week. My question is (that I didn't think about at the time) is could this be dangerous to develop thos at such a young age, given if he continues swimming the training is only going to get more intense? I've googled and come across 'athletes heart'which doeant sound good as it seems the actual shape of the heart changes?! Any one any experience or knowledge of this?

Training literally changes the shape of the heart for anyone (just like any muscle) - endurance athletes are just at the far end of this.

He presumably had an ECG which looks for abnormal muscle development as well as rhythm changes. If he's been discharged without a follow-up plan it implies nobody saw anything worrying. You could contact the Paediatric department secretary (or Paediatric Cardiology if that's who you saw) and ask for a letter explaining things in plain language and if there's anything specific to keep an eye on. If there is uncertainty they can ask the cardiologists themselves.

If you have follow-up booked that's not something to worry about in itself! But does provide an opportunity to ask the questions you have thought of later, which is a common situation.