Primary Care Perspectives: Episode 97 - Cardiac Complications of COVID-19 in Children

Matthew Elias, attending cardiologist, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, discusses COVID-19’s impact on the heart and how it affects outpatient care for children who have recovered. Includes: a refresher on clinical symptoms of myocarditis, which vary by age and can be subtle; review of EKG findings with myocarditis (again, tricky); other cardiac effects of COVID; the potential for long-term cardiac effects; lack of knowledge about the extent to which other pediatric viruses affect the heart; significance of troponin levels in adults versus children; guidelines for return to sport following COVID infection, with age and severity of infection as factors; when to consider referral for EKG and outpatient cardiology evaluation; symptoms of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C); differences between MIS-C and Kawasaki disease; whether patients with congenital heart disease are at higher risk; and more.  Published February 2021. This podcast is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not to be considered as medical advice for any particular patient. Clinicians must rely on their own informed clinical judgment in making recommendations to their patients. ©2021 by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, all rights reserved.