Heart conditions and fitness to drive
Information and questions and answers from the April 2013 MARVAD standards. This is historical information; requirements may have changed. It does not replace individual medical or legal advice or determine personal fitness to drive.
Conditions in this field
Questions and answers
Why are heart conditions relevant to driving?
The document assesses the risk of sudden functional impairment and the ability to perform driving tasks, sometimes including the physical exertion involved in professional driving.
Are coronary events with and without infarction distinguished?
Yes. Separate table entries specify waiting periods and cardiologist assessment. Licence type also affects the conditions.
Is completing the waiting period sufficient?
No. The coronary-event entries also require a cardiologist’s assessment of cardiac function and clinical stability. Waiting is only part of the conditions.
What is assessed in arrhythmias?
The tables distinguish types of arrhythmia and treatment. They consider stability, symptoms and the risk of functional impairment while driving, among other factors.
Is cardiac arrest included in the standards?
Yes. It has a dedicated entry with separate conditions for private and professional licences. The myocardial-infarction entry should not automatically be applied to it.
Is ablation covered?
Yes. The document includes radiofrequency ablation. Read this alongside the arrhythmia type and the conditions for the relevant licence class.
Are pacemakers and ICDs assessed identically?
They appear in a dedicated part of the table, but the devices and their respective conditions must be distinguished. Fitness with a pacemaker does not establish fitness with an ICD.
How are bypass surgery and angioplasty addressed?
The table includes coronary revascularisation entries, including PTCA and CABG. Conditions concern the procedure, recovery and medical assessment.
What does NYHA classification mean?
It describes how heart-failure symptoms limit activity, ranging from ordinary activity to symptoms at rest. The document uses this in fitness assessment.
Why is anticoagulant treatment mentioned?
The document discusses bleeding risk when treatment is not controlled. A dedicated anticoagulation entry should be read together with the underlying disease.
View original source
Original source scan in Hebrew. The translated explanatory text is provided on this page. The historical 2013 standards may have changed and do not determine your individual fitness to drive.
Acute coronary event without infarction
Myocardial infarction
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Atrial fibrillation
Paroxysmal arrhythmias
Percutaneous coronary intervention
Cardiac arrest
Radiofrequency ablation
Arrhythmia surgery
Congenital heart defects
Anticoagulant treatment
Pacemaker
Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator — ICD
Angioplasty — PTCA
Coronary bypass — CABG
Heart failure by NYHA class
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