What is COVID myocarditis and how strong is the data to create a link between COVID and potential arrhythmias? Was COVID myocarditis the leading factor in the recent decisions of some American athletic conferences to shut-down the fall sports season? What are the criteria to start participation again?

On this episode of the AMSSM Sports Medcast (T: @TheAMSSM) host Dr. Devin McFadden, MD is joined by sports medicine physicians and internationally renowned experts on Sports Cardiology Dr. Jonathan Drezner and Dr. Michael Ackerman, who have both been influential in the debate on whether a Collegiate Athletic season can safely occur in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic.

Dr. Jonathan Drezner is a Professor from the Department of Family Medicine and Director of the University of Washington Center for Sports Cardiology, past president of the AMSSM, team physician for the Seattle Seahawks, UW Huskies, and OL Reign and deputy editor of the BJSM.

Dr. Michael Ackerman is a Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Pharmacology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. He is the Director of the Windland Smith Rice Genetic Heart Rhythm Clinic and Windland Smith Rice Sudden Death Genomics Laboratory, as well as the president of the Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes (SADS) Foundation.

In this 40 minute conversation Drs. Drezner and Ackerman addressed the following topics:

What is COVID myocarditis and why is it so concerning?

How strong is the link between COVID-19 and was this a driving factor in the cancelling of the FALL sports season by some collegiate conferences?

What metrics need to be satisfied in order to safely return to play, and will that occur this year.

Health and Well Being Considerations for PAC-12 Institutions: Guidance for Local Planning for Return to Sporting Activity

https://xs.pac-12.com/2020-08/Pac-12%20Covid-19%20Return%20to%20Play%20Considerations%2008.10.2020.pdf

Puntmann VO, Carerj ML, Weiters I. Outcomes of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients Recently Recovered From Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamacardiology/fullarticle/2768916

Baggish A, Drezner JA, Kim J, et al. Resurgence of sport in the wake of COVID-19: cardiac considerations in competitive athletes

https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2020/06/18/bjsports-2020-102516

Maron BJ, Zipes DP, Kovacs RJ, et al. Eligibility and disqualification recommendations for competitive athletes with cardiovascular abnormalities: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology. Copublished in Circulation and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2015.

https://www.acc.org/~/media/fb92803045d249ae91b715650dd0ebe4.pdf

Pelliccia A, Solberg EE, Papadakis M, et al. Recommendations for participation in competitive and leisure time sport in athletes with cardiomyopathies, myocarditis, and pericarditis: position statement of the Sport Cardiology Section of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology (EAPC). European Heart Journal 2019;40:19.