ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Electrocardiogram (ECG) offers a valuable resource easily available in the emergency setting. OBJECTIVE: Aim of the study was to describe ECG alterations on emergency department (ED) presentation or that developed during hospitalization in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients and their association with 28-day mortality. METHODS: A retrospective, single-center study including hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 was conducted. ECG was recorded on ED admission to determine: heart rhythm, rate, and cycle; atrio-ventricular and intra-ventricular conduction; right ventricular strain; and ventricular repolarization. A specialized cardiologist blinded for the outcomes performed all 12-lead ECG analyses and their interpretation. RESULTS: 190 patients were included, with a total of 24 deaths (12.6%). Age (p < 0.0001) and comorbidity burden were significantly higher in non-survivors (p < 0.0001). Atrial fibrillation (AF) was more frequent in non-survivors (p < 0.0001), alongside a longer QTc interval (p = 0.0002), a lower Tp-e/QTc ratio (p = 0.0003), and right ventricular strain (p = 0.013). Remdesivir administration was associated with bradycardia development (p = 0.0005) but no increase in mortality rates. In a Cox regression model, AF (aHR 3.02 (95% CI 1.03-8.81); p = 0.042), QTc interval above 451 ms (aHR 3.24 (95% CI 1.09-9.62); p = 0.033), and right ventricular strain (aHR 2.94 (95% CI 1.01-8.55); p = 0.047) were associated with higher 28-day mortality risk. CONCLUSIONS: QTc interval > 451 ms, right ventricular strain, and AF are associated with higher mortality risk in SARS-CoV-2 hospitalized patients. ECG recording and its appropriate analysis offers a simple, quick, non-expensive, and validated approach in the emergency setting to guide COVID-19 patients' stratification.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: COVID-19 may show no peculiar signs and symptoms that may differentiate it from other infective or non-infective etiologies; thus, early recognition and prompt management are crucial to improve survival. The aim of this study was to describe clinical, laboratory, and radiological characteristics and outcomes of hospitalized COVID-19 patients compared to those with other infective or non-infective etiologies. METHODS: We performed a prospective study from March 2020 to February 2021. All patients hospitalized for suspected or confirmed COVID-19 were prospectively recruited. All patients were evaluated according to a predefined protocol for diagnosis of suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection. The primary endpoint was evaluation of clinical, laboratory, and radiological characteristics associated or not with COVID-19 etiology at time of hospitalization in an emergency department. RESULTS: A total of 1036 patients were included in the study: 717 (69%) patients with confirmed COVID-19 and 319 (31%) without COVID-19, hospitalized for other causes. The main causes of hospitalization among non-COVID-19 patients were acute heart failure (44%) and bacterial pneumonia (45.8%). Overall, 30-day mortality was 9% among the COVID-19 group and 35% in the non-COVID-19 group. Multivariate analysis showed variables (fever > 3 days, dry cough, acute dyspnea, lymphocytes < 1000 × 103/µL, and ferritin > 250 ng/mL) independently associated with COVID-19 etiology. A decision tree was elaborated to early detect COVID-19 patients in the emergency department. Finally, Kaplan-Meier curves on 30-day survival in COVID-19 patients during the first wave (March-May 2020, n = 289 patients) and the second wave (October-February 2021, n = 428 patients) showed differences between the two study periods (p = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 may show peculiar characteristics at time of hospitalization that could help physicians to distinguish from other infective or non-infective etiologies. Finally, a different 30-day mortality rate was observed during different periods of the pandemic.