Cardiology Commons^™

Covid-19-Associated Myocarditis: Screening For Early Diagnosis, Yousuf Khan, Salmman Ahmed, Samuel John Wlasowicz, Ronald G. Lott Iii, Xavier C. Zonna

Advances in Clinical Medical Research and Healthcare Delivery

The SARS-CoV-2 virus (causing COVID-19), has infected about 770 million people, and caused the death of about 6.9 million people worldwide in the span of three years (John Hopkins Resource Center). Common symptoms of a patient infected with the virus include shortness of breath, fever, chills, fatigue, loss of taste or smell, and muscle aches. However, recent studies have also shown a prevalence of patients presenting with cardiac inflammation (endocarditis, myocarditis or pericarditis) as a potential comorbidity, both during the infectious stage as well as after the infection has subsided. A pattern of specific clinical markers may be indicative of …

Unexpected Course Of Left Ventricular Thrombus After Covid-19 Infection In A Woman With Peripartum Cardiomyopathy, Kutluhan Eren Hazir, Ersin Çağrı Şi̇mşek, Gizem Çabuk, Cenk Sari

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCMP) is defined as heart failure that develops in the last trimester of pregnancy or in the first few months after delivery without an underlying cause. Altought it is seen rarely, it can lead to thromboembolic events and can be life-threatening. Similarly, COVID-19, which is a viral pneumonia agent, is known to cause thrombogenesis. In this case report, the unexpected course of left ventricular thrombus developing in a patient with peripartum cardiomyopathy accompanied by COVID-19 infection is presented.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Therapy In Covid-19 Patients With Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Joseph B. Zwischenberger, Katherine Breetz

Journal of Shock and Hemodynamics

Patients with coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) may present with a wide range of symptoms ranging from asymptomatic to critically ill. Approximately 10-14% of patients require hospitalization. Those individuals requiring hospitalization can deteriorate rapidly with worsening hypoxemia or new-onset pneumonia, resulting in 20-30% of patients developing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

When refractory to medical management, severe ARDS secondary to other illnesses has been successfully treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). We completed a comprehensive literature review of ECMO utilization for patients with severe COVID-19 who were unresponsive to critical care management. Of the 1419 patients with a reported diagnosis …

Clinical Characteristics, Risk Factors, And Outcomes Among A Large Midwestern U.S. Cohort Of Patients Hospitalized With Covid-19 Prior To Vaccine Availability, Viviana Zlochiver, Ana Cristina Perez Moreno, Michael Peterson, Khalil Odeh, Ashley Mainville, Katherine Busniewski, Jon Wrobel, Mohamed Hommeida, Blair Tilkens, Payal Sharma, Hlu Vang, Sara Walczak, Fekadesilassie Moges, Kritika Garg, A. Jamil Tajik, Suhail Q. Allaqaband, Tanvir Bajwa, M. Fuad Jan

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented demands on health care. This study aimed to characterize COVID-19 inpatients and examine trends and risk factors associated with hospitalization duration, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and in-hospital mortality.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection hospitalized at an integrated health system between February 2, 2020, and December 12, 2020. Patient characteristics and clinical outcomes were obtained from medical records. Backward stepwise logistic regression analyses were used to identify independent risk factors of ICU admission and in-hospital mortality. Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate relationships between ICU admission and in-hospital …

The Covid-19 Pandemic Surge And Impact On Rheumatic Valvular Heart Disease Patient Care, Prashanth Kulkarni, Manjappa Mahadevappa

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

The COVID-19 crisis has surged worldwide putting immense stress on the health care services, leading to institutions deferring elective procedures and struggling to triage the emergency care of the cardiac patient. This has affected the management of the rheumatic valvular heart disease patient especially, in developing countries, potentially placing these patients at enormous risk for complications like congestive cardiac failure, stroke and death. In this article, we explore the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on rheumatic valvular heart disease patient care. We try to provide a framework that addresses the procedural considerations of interventions like percutaneous transluminal mitral commissurotomy (PTMC), …

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Used In Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome With Covid-19: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Novia Kusumawardhani, Ivana Purnama Dewi, Budi Baktijasa Dharmadjati

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

Introduction: Protective pulmonary mechanical ventilation, higher positive end-expiratory pressure, neuromuscular blockade, prone positioning, and pulmonary recruitment procedures are all strategies in severe COVID-19 cases. Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) can be seen as an alternative to traditional treatment in certain patients when conventional therapy fails. We present a study that intends to systematically review and meta-analysis ECMO use in COVID-19 patients.

Methods: We search major medical databases (Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, MedRxiv) for clinical trials that were released between January 2020 until February 2021, had full-text availability, were written in English, and humans studies.

We used National Heart, Lung, and Blood …

Is Atrial Fibrillation A Risk Factor For Worse Outcomes In Severe Covid-19 Patients: A Single Center Retrospective Cohort, Abdulkarim Abdulrahman, Tajammul Hussain, Safraz Nawaz, Shereen Alshaikh, Abdulrahman Almadani, Fawaz Bardooli

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

Introduction: New onset atrial fibrillation leads to worse outcomes in patients with sepsis. The association between new onset atrial fibrillation (AF) in COVID19 patients with COVID19 outcomes are lacking. This study aims to determine whether new onset atrial fibrillation in COVID19 patients admitted in the ICU is a risk factor for death or requirement of mechanical ventilation (MV) Methods: This is a retrospective study conducted in a cohort of COVID-19 patients admitted to Bahrain’s COVID-19 Field Hospital (BDF-FICU) between April 2020 to November 2020. Data were extracted from the electronic medical records. The patients who developed new onset AF during …

Left Ventricular Assist Device Thrombosis Treated With Intravenous Tissue Plasminogen Activator In A Patient With Covid-19 Infection, Simone A. Jarrett, Jafar Alzubi, Savalan Babapoor-Farrokhran, Zaid Ammari, Mohammad Al-Sarie, Zachary Port, Farhan Hasni, Behnam Bozorgnia, Raphael Bonita

The VAD Journal

Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation is an established treatment for patients with end-stage, systolic heart failure as a bridge to heart transplantation or destination therapy. LVAD pump thrombosis is a life-threatening complication than can be triggered by prothrombotic conditions such as infection. Management of pump thrombosis presents as both a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge that is associated with a high morbidity and mortality. We report a case of pump thrombosis in a patient with a HeartMate II (Abbott Laboratories, Chicago, IL) and coronavirus (COVID-19) infection that was treated successfully with an intravenous thrombolytic, tissue plasminogen activator.

Cardiac Tamponade, Sever Hypothyroidism And Ards In Down Syndrome With Covid-19 Infection, Fahmi Alkaf, Turki A. Al Garni, Nahes Al-Harbi, Hassan Sandokji, Sondos Samargandy

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

A 21-years-old with Down syndrome presented with respiratory distress. Initial investigations revealed a cardiac tamponade. On further evaluation, he had positive coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), severe chest infection and severe hypothyroidism. He responded well to urgent pericardiocentesis, levothyroxine, hydrocortisone and tocilizumab.

Preprocedure Covid-19 Testing In Early Phase Of Pandemic, Renuka Jain, Bradley Kruger, Robert Citronberg, Stacie Kroboth, Ana Cristina Perez Moreno, Bijoy K. Khandheria

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a nationwide shutdown of elective medical procedures. Upon resumption of services, preprocedure nasopharyngeal swab testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was introduced for all patients requiring surgical or other aerosol-generating procedures. We investigated preprocedure COVID-19 testing in one of the largest U.S. health systems. Patients included in this retrospective, observational study were asymptomatic and scheduled for a procedure or surgery. All patients underwent a nasopharyngeal swab test for SARS-CoV-2 performed 24–72 hours prior to a planned procedure. Clinical demographics, type of procedure, test results, and subsequent procedure status were evaluated. Of 38,608 …

Seroprevalence Of Sars-Cov-2 Antibody In Echocardiography And Stress Laboratory, Renuka Jain, Stacie Kroboth, Denise Ignatowski, Bijoy K. Khandheria

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Transesophageal echocardiography is an aerosol-generating procedure, and exercise stress testing is a potentially aerosol-generating activity. Concern has been raised about heightened risk of transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among health care personnel participating in these procedures. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of past coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection in echocardiography and stress laboratory staff.

Methods: All staff who worked in the echocardiography and stress laboratories of one high-traffic urban hospital from March 15, 2020, to June 15, 2020, were asked to voluntarily participate. Those willing to participate were consented, and past COVID-19 infection was …

Comprehensive Echocardiographic Findings In Critically Ill Covid-19 Patients With Or Without Prior Cardiac Disease, Renuka Jain, Pedro D. Salinas, Stacie Kroboth, Abigail Kaminski, Sarah Roemer, Ana Cristina Perez Moreno, Bijoy K Khandheria

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presents with a spectrum of disease severity, the most serious cases requiring intensive care. Echocardiography is a front-line tool in evaluating cardiovascular complications of COVID-19 in the intensive care unit (ICU); we analyzed transthoracic echocardiograms obtained from this patient population with state-of-the-art ultrasound technology.

Methods: All patients with COVID-19 requiring ICU admission on whom a transthoracic echocardiogram was obtained were included in the study. Focused transthoracic protocols were performed by experienced sonographers. Echocardiographic variables, including speckle-tracking echocardiography, were collected and analyzed. Clinical information was obtained from the electronic medical record. Patients were followed until discharge. …

Covid-19 And Arrhythmias: A Review Of Cardiac Electrophysiology Associated With Sars-Cov-2, Kashmala Khan, Francis Dimtri, Carlos Vargas, Thomas Alexander

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become one of the most recognized viral illnesses to date. Most people infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) have a benign clinical course, but there have also been catastrophic outcomes. Although, notoriously known to affect the respiratory system, extra-pulmonary manifestations have also been established. An increasing number of people have been reported to present with cardiac manifestations, which include but are not limited to arrhythmias. The cardiac conduction system can be damaged by various mechanisms in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. In this review, we will attempt to briefly describe the arrhythmogenic …

Extended Cable For Left Ventricular Assist Devices For Monitoring Isolated Patients During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Neal A. Waxali, James M. Kenward, Laurie P. Loza, Yasser Varona, Arvind Bhimaraj

The VAD Journal

We present a method to create an extended cable for patients who are supported by left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) while infected with SARS-CoV-2. The arrangement described facilitates the LVAD monitor console’s positioning outside of the patient’s room to minimize exposure of the mechanical circulatory support team to the novel coronavirus.

Unusual Case Of Pump Thrombosis In Lvad Patient With Covid-19 — Diagnostic Challenges, William H. Frick Md, Ryan D. Mallory, Maya Guglin, Eve Anderson, Erin N. Lushin, Rey P. Vivo, Kashif Saleem, Roopa A. Rao

The VAD Journal

We present the first reported case of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) pump thrombosis in the setting of the coronavirus pandemic. We describe the clinical features of the case which helped to differentiate coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) from LVAD pump thrombosis. The patient is 56-year-old female supported by destination LVAD therapy. She was originally implanted with a HeartMate II device in 2015 and underwent two pump exchanges in 2017 and 2019 for pump thrombosis, despite medication adherence. Shortly after routine lab work revealed near doubling of her lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels, she tested positive for COVID-19. She then developed power …

Effect Of Covid-19 Pandemic On The Cardiac Outpatients’ Perception Of Seeking Medical Advice, Sondos Samargandy, Turki A. Al Garni, Abdulrahman Almoghairi, Mohammed Alahmari, Bandar Alshehri, Mohammed Mosaad, Jamal Ahmed, Hussein Alamri, Shaza Samargandy

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

Background:

During this unprecedented time of COVID-19 pandemic, it was noticed a decline in cardiovascular cases presentation to the Emergency rooms in many countries, raising many speculations about the reasons and its ramifications?

Objectives:

1-Identify the reasons during this pandemic that refrain patients from seeking medical care and its impact on stress level and medication adherence.

2- emphasize the new role of virtual medicine.

Methods:

A quantitative descriptive cross-section survey study of 388 patients. It has been done in the cardiac outpatient department and conducted virtually through telemedicine.

Results:

Despite this pandemic and its consensuses, the majority of cardiac outpatients …

Post Myocardial Infarction Papillary Muscle Rupture In The Context Of Coronavirus Disease-2019 Pandemic, Nooraldaem Yousif, Vinayak Vadgaonkar, Helen Saunders, Mohammad Amin, Habib Tareif, Fuad Abdulqader

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

Papillary muscle rupture is a very rare but often catastrophic complication of acute myocardial infarction. In this case we are sharing our experience in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic, which rendered the management extremely challenging.

Health Care Delivery For Heart Failure Patients During The Covid-19 Pandemic; A Consensus Of The Saudi Heart Failure Working Group (Saudi-Hf), Abeer Bakhsh, Maryam Alqaseer, Fakhr Alayoubi, Rima S. Bader, Kamal Alghalayini, Abdelfatah Elasfar, Waleed Alhabeeb

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to global and national rapid health system changes to treat the affected patients and prevent the spread of the virus. The social distancing, redirecting resources, and nationwide lockdown led to the cancellation of non-urgent hospital visits and interruption of continuity of care for patients with chronic cardiac conditions such as heart failure (HF). This consensus document addresses the domains of health care delivery that are affected by the pandemic. It explains the current situation of health care delivery to heart failure patients and further recommendation on how to overcome this. Thus, maintaining quality …

Cardiac Surgery Services During The Covid-19 Outbreak: Surgeons’ Thoughts, Ahmed Arifi, Abdullah A. Alghamdi

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

Cardiac surgeons during this pandemic crisis have a responsibility to ensure that essential elective cardiac operations are provided at their centers to the public, at the same time, they have to face administrative as well as the infection prevention guidelines and restrictions to protect themselves and their patients. Here, we describe the patient and procedures characteristics that we recommend to protect our patients and the healthcare workers.

The Impact Of Covid-19 Pandemic On The Hospital Management Of Tavi Patients: Tavi Team Thoughts And Recommendation, Mohamed Balgaith, Ahmed Arifi, Dalia Ahmed, A. Mounir Metwally

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

The COVID-19 Pandemic has put enormous pressure on the healthcare system globally, causing many healthcare organizations all over the world to cancel or stop elective procedures in their cardiac catheterization Labs. This delay in the elective procedures with no doubt has led to a suspension of patient care primarily to those with severe aortic stenosis, which might place them at higher risk for cardiovascular complications like sudden death and heart failure.

Health Care Worker (HCW) faced with the uncertainty of contracting infections while performing procedures in patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 or suspected cases. This unprecedented situation is …

Non-Invasive Cardiac Imaging During The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) Pandemic: A Statement From The Cardiac Imaging Working Group Of The Saudi Heart Association, Yasmin Hanfi, Mirvat Alasnag, Halia Alsherhi, Ahmed Alsaileek, Abdulaziz Alghamdi, Abdullah Al Sehly, Adel Sallam, Ahmed Aljizeeri

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

COVID-19 pandemic has led to major changes in the delivery of medical care around the globe. Many investigations and elective procedures had to be rescheduled to decrease the risk of spreading the infection. Non-invasive cardiac imaging studies are requested to guide appropriate cardiac care in a variety of urgent, semi-urgent, and elective procedures. This position statement of the Cardiac Imaging Working Group of the Saudi Heart Association provides guidance into the protection of healthcare personnel, assessment of the indications of the imaging studies, and highlights consideration before, during, and after the study.

Saudi Arabian Society Of Echocardiography Recommendations For Echocardiography Service During Corona Virus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) Outbreak, Sami Ghazal, Fatima Qaddoura, Abdulhalim Kinsara Kinsara, Ahmed Omran, Merna Atiyah, Mustafa Al Refae, Faisal Dalak, Saeed Al Ahmari, Abdullah Al Sehly, Noureldin Sahal, Ahmed Onazi, Rima Bader

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

We are summarizing the recommendations for the use of Echocardiography in patients during COVID-19 pandemic. The patient risk for COVID-19 should be assessed according to the Saudi CDC guidelines. Echocardiography should only be performed of considered appropriate and will likely alter the clinical decision. In COVID-19 suspected/ confirmed patients, echocardiography study should be performed bedside and in infection control approved area with airborne precaution. Limited focused imaging is recommended to minimize contact time. A dedicated machine for COVID-19 suspected/confirmed cases is recommended. Transesophageal echocardiography is considered an aerosol generating procedure; therefore, an alternative modality should be strongly considered. In COVID-19 …