02/01/2021

COVID-19 Updated Visit Policy

For the safety of our patients, their families and our staff and in keeping with local mandates which are enforced by the Department of Health AND CDC recommendations we are maintaining the following:

1.  Families are required to wear a face masks during the visit.  We will be asking that all children over 5 years of age wear a mask.  However it is recommended by the CDC that masks should be worn by everyone over the age 2 years.  

2.  Visits will be limited to the patient and only 1 parent or guardian per patient seen in our office.   We are happy to discuss the case over the phone with other members of the family.  We will be unable to allow other family to wait inside the waiting room and instead will need them to wait outside the practice.

3.  We can no longer allow other children in the family to be present for the appointment unless they are also being seen.

09/20/2020

COVID-19 and Sports Participation

What kind of testing should your child have if they had COVID-19 and want to return to sports?

Sports participation after COVID-19 infection is a difficult question to answer since this is all very new to the medical community but some recommendations have been made.  We will address each situation:

1.  COVID positive test WITHOUT symptoms:  

• • No exercise / sports participation for 2 weeks from DATE OF POSITIVE TEST
• • Monitor for symptoms during this time
• • May slowly resume activity after 2 weeks if cleared by PCP.
• • No further testing needed if no symptoms during the 2 weeks including no chest pain, fainting, palpitations.

If symptoms of Chest pain, shortness of breath, or fainting develop (especially during activity) participation should be stopped an evaluation by a Pediatric Cardiologist is recommended.

2.  COVID positive test WITH mild symptoms (symptoms resolve in 3-4 days, NO fever) and NO hospital stay:

• • No exercise / sports participation for 2 weeks from END OF SYMPTOMS
• • An EKG may be reasonable before returning to sports.
• • If EKG is abnormal or cardiac symptoms are present (chest pain, shortness of breath, fainting) evaluation by a Pediatric Cardiologist is recommended.
• • After 2 weeks may slowly return to play / sports and monitor for  issues if cleared by PCP.

If symptoms of Chest pain, shortness of breath, or fainting develop (especially during activity) participation should be stopped an evaluation by a Pediatric Cardiologist is recommended.

3.  COVID positive test WITH moderate symptoms (prolonged fever, more than 3-4 days of symptoms) but NO hospital stay

• • No exercise / sports participation for 2 weeks from END OF SYMPTOMS
• • An evaluation by a Pediatric Cardiologist is recommended before return to sports which will include an EKG and likely Echocardiogram.

If symptoms of Chest pain, shortness of breath, or fainting develop (especially during activity) participation should be stopped an evaluation by a Pediatric Cardiologist is recommended.

4.  COVID positive test WITH severe symptoms and Hospitalization

• • No exercise / sports participation for at least 3-6 months until cleared by Pediatric Cardiology
• • Echocardiogram, EKG and other testing may be needed.

5.  COVID positive test in a child with a heart defect

• • No exercise / sports participation until cleared by Pediatric Cardiology.
• • Echocardiogram, EKG and other testing may be needed.

If you have questions about your child who has tested positive for COVID-19 please feel free to call our office and you may be able to take advantage of a Telehealth appointment. 

07/11/2020

COVID-19 Face Mask Safety

Is it safe for my child to wear a face mask?  

What age should I start making them wear it?

This rise in cases of COVID-19 we are seeing across the U.S. has made us all more aware of the importance of wearing a face mask in public.  

First of wearing a face mask is safe and it is one of the best ways to help lower your risk for catching the coronavirus when you add it to social distancing.  

When it comes to your children it is recommended by the CDC that face masks should be worn by children over the age of 2 years when out in public and we generally don't recommend it for younger ages than that.

Masks should be an appropriate fit.  When selecting a mask try to pick one that is able to cover the nose and mouth without being loose.  When a mask is loose it is more likely that you will touch your face to adjust it.  Many stores are selling sepecifically child size masks or adjustable band lengths.  

Ideally you should wash your mask once daily.

When you and your child are planning to go somewhere that you may interact with other people make the use of the face mask a routine part of getting ready to leave. 

Of course the best prevention will always be to keep your children at home when ever possible and avoid exposing them to other individuals.

Here at Tri-City Pediatric Cardiology we are doing our part to keep everyone safe by having all patients and families wear face masks during our visits, just as all our staff do.  We are trying to keep the number of patients in clinic limited and avoid them from coming into contact with other families.  

We appreciate your help in keeping us all safe and your understanding during this time.