Prevention and Emergency Management in Cardiac Intensive Care Units After Effective Control of the COVID-19: A Chinese Tertiary Hospital Experience (preprint)

ObjectiveAfter effective control of the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in China, how to reopen the hospital and avoid the outbreak in the hospital is a problem that needs to be carefully considered. The aim of this descriptive study is to share the experience of prevention and emergency management in our hospital and cardiac intensive care units (CCU) when medical services were reopened after COVID-19 was under control.Methods and ResultsWe conducted a retrospective, descriptive and single-centre study. Management strategy and data were collected from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Hunan and CCU. We have implemented some strategies to prevent the prevalence of covid-19 in hospitals while ensuring that more critical cardiac patients can be admitted to CCU. These measures are summarized as follows: 1. gradually expanding medical services; 2. risk classification and routine strict screening of patients admitted to CCU; 3. strengthening the management of hospitalized patients, accompanying person and medical staffs; 4. strengthening screening and isolation of suspected cases of inpatients; 5. other measures such as strengthening training of medical workers, protective equipment and environmental management, and so on.ConclusionWe share the experience of prevention and emergency management in our hospital and CCU when medical services were reopened after effective control of the COVID-19 epidemic and hope it will be helpful for cardiologist or critical care physician all around the world to continue to provide critical care in a safe and orderly manner.

Association between Cardiovascular Burden and Requirement of Intensive Care among Patients with Mild COVID-19 (preprint)

BackgroundInformation regarding the impact of cardiovascular disease (CVD) on disease progression among patients with mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is limited. MethodsThis study evaluated the association of underlying CVD with disease progression in patients with mild COVID-19. The primary outcome was the need to be transferred to intensive care due to disease progression. The patients were divided with and without CVD as well as stable and intensive care groups. ResultsOf 332 patients with mild COVID-19, median age was 51 years (IQR, 40-59 years), and 200 (61.2%) were female. Of 48 (14.5%) patients with CVD, 23 (47.9%) progressed to severe disease status and required intensive care. Compared with patients without CVD, patients with CVD were older, and more likely to have fatigue, chest tightness, and myalgia. The rate of requiring intensive care was significantly higher among patients with CVD than in patients without CVD (47.92% vs. 12.4%; P<0.001). In subgroup analysis, rate of requiring intensive care was also higher among patients with either hypertension or coronary heart disease than in patients without hypertension or coronary heart disease. The multivariable regression model showed CVD served as an independent risk factor for intensive care (Odd ratio [OR], 2.652 [95% CI, 1.019-6.899]) after adjustment for various cofounders. ConclusionsPatients with mild COVID-19 complicating CVD in are susceptible to develop severe disease status and requirement for intensive care. Key PointsO_ST_ABSQuestionC_ST_ABSWhat is the impact of coexisting cardiovascular diseases (CVD) on disease progression in patients with mild COVID-19? FindingsAlthough most patients with mild COVID-19 were discharged alive from hospital, approximately 47.9% patients with coexisting CVD developed severe disease status and required intensive care. CVD is an independent risk factor of intensive care among patients with mild COVID-19. MeaningCoexisting CVD is associated with unfavorable outcomes among patients with mild COVID-19. Special monitoring is required for these patients to improve their outcome.

Evaluation of variation in D-dimer levels among COVID-19 and bacterial pneumonia: a retrospective analysis (preprint)

Background：In the recent outbreak of novel coronavirus infection worldwide, the risk of thrombosis and bleeding should be concerned. Objectives: We aimed to observe the dynamic changes of D-dimer levels during disease progression to evaluate their value for thrombosis. Methods: In this study, we report the clinical and laboratory results of 57 patients with confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia and 46 patients with confirmed community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CAP). And their concentrations of D-dimer, infection-related biomarkers, and conventional coagulation were retrospectively analyzed.Results: On admission, both in COVID-19 patients and CAP patients, D-dimer levels were significantly increased, and compared with CAP patients, D-Dimer levels were higher in COVID-19 patients (P<0.05). Besides, we found that in COVID-19 patients, D-dimer were related with markers of inflammation, especially with hsCRP (R=0.426, P<0.05), and after treatments, D-dimer levels decreased which was synchronous with hsCRP levels in patients with good clinical prognosis, but there were still some patients with anomalous increasing D-dimer levels after therapy.Conclusions: Elevated baseline D-dimer levels are associated with inflammation in COVID-19 patients, and the abnormal changes of D-dimer and inflammatory factors suggest that anticoagulant therapy might be needed.

Comparison of Clinical Features in Octogenarian and Non-octogenarian Adults with Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia (preprint)

Background: Aged people is more susceptible and vulnerable to COVID-19 pneumonia. As the “super-elderly” group, octogenarian COVID-19 patients is not rare in current world-wide common healthy event.Object: To describe clinical features in octogenarian with severe COVID-19. And try to find out the differences with other non-octogenarian adult patients.Materials and Methods: We studied a small cohort of octogenarian COVID-19 patients at a hospital in Wuhan from 10 February to 15 March. We recorded interested clinical data including chest CT in the octogenarian patients. In order to know the differences of clinical characteristics between octogenarian and other adult patients, we included the number of non-octogenarian patients cohort as ratio of 1:3.Result: For octogenarian patients, the age is 83.33±3.08 and 4 are female (4/6,66.7%). For non-octogenarian patients, the age is 60.72±8.28 years and 5 are female(5/18, 27.8%). and 59% were men. Compared non-octogenarian patients, octogenarian patients’ hospital stay duration is significantly longer (p=0.0052*). WBC is obvious elevated in octogenarian(p=0.0494*). BUN (p=0.0377*) and Cr (p=0.0112*) is with obvious differences between two group patients. No obvious differences in CT findings between two groups.Conclusion: The severe COVID-19 pneumonia octogenarian may have more chance to combined with bacterial infection. Octogenarian has worse baseline kidney function than non-octogenarian. In individual cases, the broader lesion and more lesion types may be found in octogenarian CT image.

Comparison of heart failure and 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia in chest CT features and clinical characteristics / 中华心血管病杂志

Objective@#To identify the characteristics including clinical features and pulmonary computed tomography (CT) features of heart failure and novel coronavirus pneumonia(COVID-19).@*Methods@#This study was a retrospective study. A total of 7 patients with Heart failure and 12 patients with COVID-19 in the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University between December 1, 2019 and February 15, 2020 were enrolled. The baseline clinical and imaging features of the two groups were statistically analyzed.@*Results@#There was no significant difference in age and sex between the two groups, but the incidence of epidemiological contact history, fever or respiratory symptoms in the COVID-19 group was significantly higher than that in the heart failure group (12/12 vs. 2/7, P=0.001; 12/12 vs. 4/7, P<0.001). While the proportion of cardiovascular diseases and impaired cardiac function was significantly less than that of the heart failure group(2/12 vs.7/7, P<0.001; 0/12 vs.7/7, P<0.001). For imaging features, both groups had ground-glass opacity and thickening of interlobular septum, but the ratio of central and gradient distribution was higher in patients with heart failure than that in patients with COVID-19 (4/7 vs. 1/12, P=0.04). In heart failure group, the ratio of the expansion of small pulmonary veins was also higher (3/7 vs. 0, P=0.013), and the lung lesions can be significantly improved after effective anti-heart failure treatment. Besides, there are more disease with rounded morphology in COVID-19 (9/12 vs. 2/7, P=0.048) .@*Conclusions@#More patients with COVID-19 have epidemiological history and fever or respiratory symptoms. There are significant differences in chest CT features, such as enlargement of pulmonary veins, lesions distribution and morphology between heart failure and COVID-19.

How to differentiate COVID-19 pneumonia from heart failure with computed tomography at initial medical contact during epidemic period (preprint)

OBJECTIVES To compare chest CT findings in heart failure with those of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. BACKGROUND During epidemic period, chest computed tomography (CT) has been highly recommended for screening patients with suspected COVID-19. However, the comparison of CT imaging between heart failure and COVID-19 pneumonia has not been fully elucidated. METHODS Patients with heart failure (n=12), COVID-19 pneumonia (n=12) and one patient with both diseases were retrospectively enrolled. Clinical information and imaging of chest CT were collected and analyzed. RESULTS There was no difference of ground glass opacity (GGO), consolidation, crazy paving pattern, lobes affected and septal thickening between heart failure and COVID-19 pneumonia. However, less rounded morphology (8.3% vs. 67%, p=0.003), more peribronchovascular thickening (75% vs. 33%, p=0.041) and fissural thickening (33% vs. 0%, p=0.028), less peripheral distribution (33% vs. 92%, p=0.003) were found in heart failure group than that in COVID-19 group. Importantly, there were also more patients with upper pulmonary vein enlargement (75% vs. 8.3%, p=0.001), subpleural effusion and cardiac enlargement in heart failure group than that in COVID-19 group (50% vs. 0%, p=0.005, separately). Besides, more fibrous lesions were found in COVID-19 group although there was no statistical difference (25% vs. 0%, P=0.064) CONCLUSIONS Although there are some overlaps of CT imaging between heart failure and COVID-19, CT is still a useful tool in differentiating COVID-19 pneumonia.