Complex Management Decisions in a Professional Athlete With Recurrent Pericarditis

Benjamin M Klein; Eunice S Dugan; Andrew D LaCombe; Nicholas P Ruthmann; Eric E Roselli; Allan L Klein; Michael S Emery

doi:10.1016/j.jaccas.2022.05.015

Complex Management Decisions in a Professional Athlete With Recurrent Pericarditis

JACC Case Rep. 2022 Sep 7;4(17):1090-1093. doi: 10.1016/j.jaccas.2022.05.015.

Authors

Benjamin M Klein¹, Eunice S Dugan², Andrew D LaCombe², Nicholas P Ruthmann², Eric E Roselli^{3

4}, Allan L Klein^{2

5}, Michael S Emery^{2

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
² Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Heart, Vascular, and Thoracic Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
³ Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Heart, Vascular, and Thoracic Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
⁴ Sports Cardiology Center, Heart, Vascular, and Thoracic Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
⁵ Pericardial Diseases Center, Heart, Vascular, and Thoracic Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

Abstract

A 32-year-old professional athlete developed chronic recurrent pericarditis despite standard medical therapy. Etiology included postpericardiotomy syndrome, viral, or COVID-19 vaccine related, all potentially exacerbated by intense exercise. Treatment and return-to-play decisions were complicated by potential side-effect profile of therapies and ability to limit exercise as a professional athlete. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).

Keywords: CMR, cardiac magnetic resonance; COVID-19; CTS, cardiothoracic surgery; IL, interleukin; NSAID, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication; athlete; exercise; pericarditis; postpericardiotomy; recurrence.

Publication types

Case Reports