Right Ventricular-Arterial Uncoupling Independently Predicts Survival in COVID-19 ARDS (preprint)

Aim: . To investigate the prevalence and prognostic impact of right heart failure and right ventricular-arterial uncoupling in Corona Virus Infectious Disease 2019 ( COVID-19) complicated by an acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Methods: . Ninety-four consecutive patients (mean age 64 yrs) admitted for acute respiratory failure on COVID-19 were enrolled. Coupling of right ventricular function to the pulmonary circulation was evaluated by a comprehensive trans-thoracic echocardiography with focus on the tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) to systolic pulmonary artery pressure (PASP) ratio Results: . The majority of patients needed ventilatory support, which was non-invasive in 22 and invasive in 37. There were 25 deaths, all in the invasively ventilated patients. Survivors were younger (62±13 vs 68±12 years, p =0.033), less often overweight or usual smokers, had lower NT-proBNP and interleukin-6, and higher arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO 2 )/fraction of inspired O 2 (FIO 2 ) ratio (270±104 vs 117±57 mmHg, p <0.001). In the non-survivors, PASP was increased (42±12 vs 30±7 mmHg, p <0.001), while TAPSE was decreased (19±4 vs 25±4 mm, p<0.001). Accordingly the TAPSE/PASP ratio was lower than in the survivors (0.51±0.22 vs 0.89±0.29 mm/mmHg, p <0.001). At univariate/multivariable analysis, the TAPSE/PASP (HR:0.026; 95%CI:0.01-0.579; p:0.019) and PaO 2 /FIO 2 (HR:0.988; 95%CI:0.988-0.998; p:0.018) ratios were the only independent predictors of mortality, with ROC-determined cut-off values of 159 mmHg and 0.635 mm/mmHg respectively. Conclusions: . COVID-19 ARDS is associated with clinically relevant uncoupling of right ventricular function from the pulmonary circulation; bedside echocardiography of TAPSE/PASP adds to the prognostic relevance of PaO 2 /FIO 2 in ARDS on COVID-19.

Lesson by SARS-Cov 2 disease (COVID-19): whole body CT angiography detection of relevant and other/incidental systemic vascular findings (preprint)

Objectives: The aim of our study was to assess the frequency distribution of relevant and incidental vascular events in a retrospective cohort of 42 COVID-19 patients. Methods: All patients were studied by whole-body CT angiography.Twenty-three out of 42 patients were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Results: Relevant vascular events were recorded in the 71.4% of the whole study population. Pulmonary embolism was the most frequent one both in ICU and no-ICU cases (56.5% vs10.5%, p=0.002). Ischemic infarction of other organs was affecting with an increasing prevalence the gut, the spleen, the liver, the brain and the kidney, with a simultaneous ischemic occurrence in some cases. Multi-focal venous thrombosis was also represented especially in ICU patients (p=0.005). Among incidental findings, splanchnic vessels little-size aneurysms were reported in the 40% of the whole population, with relative frequencies similarly distributed in ICU and no-ICU patients.Conclusions: Vascular involvement is not negligible in COVID-19 and should be carefully investigated as may significantly affect disease behavior and prognosis.