Pediatric Sports Clearance After COVID

Speaker: Monica Goble, MD

As children return to organized sports following the pandemic-related halt physicians are being asked to provide cardiac clearance.

This session will give recommendations for sports clearance. Recommendations have continuously changed as more has been learned about the virus in children and this session will give pediatricians the most up-to-date information.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand differences between clearing those with a history of COVID who were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms and those with a history of moderate or severe illness.

• Know what symptoms could indicate a residual cardiac abnormality.

• Recognize the role of cardiac testing in those with more significant illness and/or ongoing red-flag symptoms.

• Understand cardiac concerns regarding return-to-sports in those with a history of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).

• Understand the need for a gradual return-to-sports schedule after recovery from COVID, especially in suspected myocarditis cases.

Desired Results:

Participants will gain a familiarity with current return-to-play guidelines, including how they have become less stringent since the first pediatric COVID-19 cases were identified.