ABSTRACT
Background: Myocarditis after SARS-CoV2 infection or vaccination is rare, but seems to be relatively more frequent in young population. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) T2 weighted sequences have the potential to detect subclinical myocarditis. However, there is paucity of data on the potential myocardial involvement after SARS-CoV2 infection or vaccination in asymptomatic adolescents. Purpose(s): To evaluate the presence of subclinical myocardial damage in adolescents who were infected with SARS-CoV2 or vaccinated against SARS-CoV2 using non-contrast CMR imaging. Method(s): Asymptomatic adolescents enrolled in the Early ImaginG Markers of unhealthy lifestyles in Adolescents (EnIGMA) project were scanned using a 3-Tesla CMR scanner between March 2021 and October 2021. CMR scans included CINE imaging and myocardial T2-mapping sequences. SARS-CoV2 IgG antibody testing was performed in capillary blood samples, and date of confirmed SARS-CoV2 infection and/or vaccination if any was collected. Participants were assigned to three different groups according to SARS-CoV2 status: Group 1 (non-infected and nonvaccinated), Group 2 (infected and non-vaccinated), and Group 3 (vaccinated, independently of past infection status). CMR images were analyzed by experienced observers blinded to adolescent's SARS-CoV2 status. ANOVA and multiple regression analysis, together with correlation coefficients, were used to study between-group differences and associations among variables of interest. Result(s): A total of 115 adolescents with a mean age of 16.0 years (standard deviation (SD)=0.4), 54% girls, completed the CMR study and SARSCoV2 data successfully, and were assigned to Group 1 (n=72), Group 2 (n=22), and Group 3 (n=21). Left and right ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF/RVEF) did not significantly differ among groups: Mean LVEF was 62.8% (SD=4.1), 63.0% (SD=3.7) and 60.9% (SD=3.9) [p=0.12] and mean RVEF was 56.5% (SD=4.2), 56.5% (SD=5.5) and 54.5% (SD=5.1) [p=0.23] in Groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Similarly, there were no between-group significant differences in myocardial T2 relaxation values: Mean T2 values were 44.1 ms (SD=2.2), 44.1 ms (SD=1.8) and 44.4 ms (SD=1.9) in Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively (p=0.63) (Figure 1). No differences were found either after adjusting for age and gender. Median time (interquartile range) from date of infection or vaccination to CMR acquisition was 133 (121) days and 28 (38) days in Group 2 and Group 3, respectively. No correlation between time from infection/vaccination to CMR acquisition and T2 values was detected (Figure 2). Conclusion(s): This observational study did not find evidence of subclinical myocardial involvement after SARS-CoV2 infection or vaccination in asymptomatic adolescents, as assessed with T2-mapping magnetic resonance imaging.
ABSTRACT
Background and aims: Madrid was one of the epicentres of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. The entire healthcare system was severely affected by the first wave of the pandemic. We aimed to assess the extent to which the acute stroke care chain was impacted. Methods: Using the stroke code (SC) cohort of SUMMA 112 (the main emergency medical service in the region), we compared all patients in the first wave of the pandemic and in the same period of the previous year. Subsequently, we collected all anonymized records from the main hospital administrative database (minimum basic data set at hospital discharge). We used ambulance response times, concordance between pre-hospital and hospital diagnosis, hospital times, and mortality to evaluate the SC protocol. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Community of Madrid. Results: 966 SC were analysed (514 pre-pandemic and 452 during the first wave). Pre-hospital attention times were longer (39 vs. 35 minutes), patients stayed longer in the emergency room before admission (7.5 vs. 6.1 hours), the concordance between pre-hospital and in-hospital diagnostic suspicion did not change significantly (86% vs. 89%) and mortality decreased (9% vs 13%) during the first wave of the pandemic Conclusions: During the first wave of the pandemic, there were delays in care, especially in the on-scene time. Improvements in training might have prevented it. The high qualification of pre-hospital teams enabled them to maintain their diagnostic accuracy. The reduction in mortality needs further exploration.