Incidence, Clinical Presentation, and Management of Myocarditis following mRNA-Based Covid-19 Vaccines: A Brief Report.

BACKGROUND: Recent surveillance studies following nationwide mass vaccination are investigating rare complications such as myocarditis, pericarditis, and thromboembolic events related to mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccines. SUMMARY: In the current report, we present an overview of the incidence, clinical presentation and management of post-mRNA vaccine myocarditis, and pericarditis in view of the currently available data. Our main focus is directed toward myocarditis. KEY MESSAGES: Myocarditis following mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccines is rare, more frequently affects younger men <30 years and is usually of mild severity with spontaneous recovery. The overall benefit of mRNA vaccines in terms of protecting from severe Covid-19 infection and associated cardiovascular complications outweighs the risk of postvaccination myocarditis. Currently, there are no dedicated guidelines for patients with postvaccination myocarditis or pericarditis in terms of the frequency of follow-up including clinical assessment, repeated echocardiography, and cardiac resonance imaging. However, follow-up studies in terms of long-term consequences are underway.

The cardiovascular complications in COVID-19: Focus on acute cardiac injury.

At the end of 2019 a novel coronavirus was identified in Wuhan, China. The disease caused by the severe acute respiratory distress syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was designated COVID-19 (corona virus disease 2019) by the World Health Organization in early 2020. Up to 80% of patients with COVID-19 experience mild symptoms with severe or critical disease occurring in the remaining 20%. Severe disease is manifested by the development of pneumonia, hypoxia and radiographic lung involvement while critical disease indicates multiorgan involvement with significant respiratory or cardiac compromise. The current estimated case fatality rate from COVID-19 is approximately 1%. Epidemiological studies have shown that advanced age, male gender, previous chronic lung disease, cardiovascular and kidney disease, obesity and diabetes are risk factors for the severity of disease course. In the current focused review, we present an overview of the acute cardiovascular complications of COVID-19, their detection and impact upon prognosis.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Heart Failure: A Multiparametric Approach.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a debilitating viral infection and, to date, 628,903 people have died from it, numbers that cannot yet be compared to the 50 million who died in the 1918 flu pandemic. As COVID-19 became better understood, cardiovascular manifestations associated with it were identified. This led to a complete healthcare restructuring with virtual clinics and changes to the triaging of critically ill patients. There are a lot of questions over how COVID-19 affects patients with heart failure (HF) as this condition is a leading cause of cardiovascular death. This review describes the cardiovascular implications of COVID-19 and new practices surrounding the use of telehealth to follow up and triage patients with HF. Current practices supported by medical societies, the role of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and, finally, a brief note regarding the management of advanced HF patients will also be discussed.