Post-COVID-19 Cardiovascular Evaluation in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Athletes.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the necessity of cardiac testing after a COVID-19 diagnosis as it relates to myocarditis in collegiate athletes.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional retrospective case series.

SETTING

National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I University.

PATIENTS: One hundred sixty-five collegiate athletes diagnosed with COVID-19 by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction or immunoglobulin G antibody between August and December 2020 without exclusion.

INTERVENTIONS: All participants underwent cardiac workup consisting of serum troponin, electrocardiogram, transthoracic echocardiogram, and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). All results were reviewed by team physicians and sports cardiologists.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of myocarditis and abnormality on cardiac testing after COVID-19 infection at a single institution.

RESULTS

One (0.61% [95% CI, 0.02%-3.3%] asymptomatic athlete had CMR findings of an age-indeterminate myocardial injury with further cardiac testing being otherwise normal. No athlete had CMR abnormalities consistent with acute myocarditis by the modified Lake Louise Criteria.

CONCLUSIONS

Occurrence of myocarditis was lower in this population compared with other studies. No student athlete was permanently disqualified from participation because of testing. A stratified, risk-based testing strategy with CMR may be more appropriate than a universal screening strategy.