Report of the Association Between Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome and Severe Myocarditis

Introduction: The people worldwide have been affected by severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection since its appearance in December, 2019. Kawasaki disease-like hyperinflammatory shock associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in previously healthy children has been reported in the literature, which is now referred to as a multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Some aspects of MIS-C are similar to those of Kawasaki disease, toxic shock syndrome, secondary hemophagocytic syndrome, and macrophage activation syndrome. Case Presentation: This study reported an 11-year-old boy with MIS-C presented with periorbital and peripheral edema, abdominal pain, elevated liver enzymes, severe right pleural effusion, moderate ascites, and severe failure of right and left ventricles. Conclusion(s): Due to the increasing number of reported cases of critically ill patients afflicted with MIS-C and its life-threatening complications, it was recommended that further studies should be carried out in order to provide screening tests for myocardial dysfunction. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach was found inevitable.Copyright © 2023, Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits copy and redistribute the material just in noncommercial usages, provided the original work is properly cited.

Multifactorial Effects of Covid-19: A Review of Published Autopsy Reports

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for the current global pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 infection underlies the novel viral condition coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 causes significant pulmonary sequelae contributing to serious morbidities. The pathogenesis of COVID-19 is complex with a multitude of factors leading to varying levels of injury numerous extrapulmonary organs. This review of 124 published articles documenting COVID- 19 autopsies included 1,142 patients. Method(s): A PubMed search was conducted for COVID-19 autopsy reports published before March 2021 utilizing the query COVID-19 Autopsy. There was no restriction regarding age, sex, or ethnicity of the patients. Duplicate cases were excluded. Findings were listed by organ system from articles that met selection criteria. Result(s): Pulmonary pathology (72% of articles;866/1142 patients): diffuse alveolar damage (563/866), alveolar edema (251/866), hyaline membrane formation (234/866), type II pneumocyte hyperplasia (165/866), alveolar hemorrhage (164/866), and lymphocytic infiltrate (87/866). Vascular pathology (41% of articles;771/1142 patients): vascular thrombi (439/771)-microvascular predominance (294/439)-and inflammatory cell infiltrates (116/771). Cardiac pathology (41% of articles;502/1142 patients): cardiac inflammation (186/502), fibrosis (131/502), cardiomegaly (100/502), hypertrophy (100/502), and dilation (35/502). Hepatic pathology (33% of articles;407/1142 patients): steatosis (106/402) and congestion (102/402). Renal pathology (30% of articles;427/1142 patients): renal arteries arteriosclerosis (111/427), sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (81/427) and acute tubular necrosis (77/427). Conclusion(s): This review revealed anticipated pulmonary pathology, along with significant extrapulmonary involvement secondary to COVID-19, indicating widespread viral tropism throughout the human body. These diverse effects require additional comprehensive longitudinal studies to characterize short-term and long-term COVID-19 sequelae and inform COVID-19 treatment.

The effect of CT-based cardiothoracic ratio on survival of COVID-19 patients

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the relationship between computed tomography (CT)- based cardiothoracic ratio (CTR) with mortality rates of COVID-19 patients. Method(s): Our study was a single-center retrospective analysis of 484 patients (aged >= 18) who were admitted to our hospital's emergency department. We included only laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients who underwent chest CT. Data of demographic information, laboratory findings, survivals, and chest CT imaging findings were recorded. The radiologist calculated CTR by dividing the greatest transverse cardiac diameter by the greatest transverse thoracic diameter on the initial chest CT. Cardiomegaly was defined if "CTR > 0.5". Result(s): Thirty (6.2%) patients were treated as outpatients, and 135/484 (%27.9) patients were treated in the intensive care unit (ICU). A total of 147 /484 (30.4%) patients died. We found a statistical association between cardiomegaly with mortality rates (p < 0.001) and ICU admission (p = 0.008). In multivariate analysis, older age was 1.07-fold (p < 0.001), cardiomegaly 1.75-fold (p = 0.015), history of cerebrovascular diseases 2.929-fold (p = 0.018), and elevated serum LDH level 1.003-fold (p = 0.011) associated with higher risks of mortality. Conclusion(s): Since the presence of cardiomegaly on chest CT is associated with a worse prognosis for COVID-19 patients, more caution should be exercised in the evaluation, follow-up, and treatment of COVID-19 patients with cardiomegaly.Copyright © 2023 by Prusa Medical Publishing.

Complete Atrioventricular Block in COVID-19-Related Myocarditis: A Case Report

Myocarditis accompanied by a high-grade atrioventricular (AV) block is a rare manifestation of COVID-19 infection. A 53-year-old woman presented with an episode of syncope, dyspnea, dry cough, and fever. On physical examination, the patient had high blood pressure and bradycardia. Her electrocardiography displayed a complete AV block with a junctional escape rhythm. Laboratory investigations revealed leukocytosis, elevated D-dimer, a positive SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal swab, and a significant elevation in troponin. No reversible cause of the AV block was found, and the complete AV block persisted after the complete treatment of COVID-19. A His bundle permanent pacemaker was then implanted. An endomyocardial biopsy demonstrated endomyocardial tissue with focal hemorrhage, fatty infiltration in the endocardium, and active chronic inflammation, supporting the diagnosis of myocarditis. Several hypotheses of complete heart block in COVID-19 infection have been proposed, including direct myocardial injury and enhanced inflammatory response. A persistent total AV block following complete COVID-19 treatment is an indication for permanent pacemaker implantation.Copyright © 2023, Iranian Heart Association. All rights reserved.

Cardiac Angiosarcoma Presenting as Recurrent Pericardial Effusion and Constrictive Pericarditis

Background Malignancy accounts for 15-20% of moderate to large pericardial effusions. Among these, cardiac angiosarcomas are extremely rare. Case A 30-year-old male presented with dyspnea and fatigue, 9 months after COVID-19 infection. He had sinus tachycardia (117 beat/min). Chest X-ray showed cardiomegaly. Echocardiogram demonstrated a large circumferential pericardial effusion with right ventricular collapse. Decision-making Pericardiocentesis yielded 850 ml of bloody fluid, with symptomatic relief. He was discharged on colchicine and indomethacin with a presumptive diagnosis of post-viral pericarditis. A month later, he had recurrent symptoms and re-accumulation of large circumferential effusion. CT chest revealed multiple pulmonary nodules and bilateral pleural effusions. He underwent subxiphoid pericardial window and pleural biopsy. Fluid analysis and biopsy results were inconclusive. Over 3 weeks, he had worsening symptoms, despite a daily pericardial drain output of ~200 ml. Repeat echocardiogram showed loculation of the effusion with signs of constrictive pericarditis. He underwent pericardiectomy. Pathology revealed cardiac angiosarcoma. FDG PET scan showed thoracic metastasis. Anakinra was initiated. Conclusion Idiopathic and post-viral etiologies are the most common causes of pericardial effusion. Although rare, cardiac angiosarcoma should be on the differential diagnosis for recurrent pericardial effusion. [Formula presented]Copyright © 2023 American College of Cardiology Foundation

MALIGNANT HYPERTENSION AFTER COVD-19 VACCINE INJECTION

Case;40 y/o male. Clinical course;The patient was transferred to our university hospital because of DOE and severe headache. He had been well and had no history of hypertension or obesity. He had experienced the COVID-19 vaccine injection two week before this visit. After the injection he had been experienced high fever and general fatigue as well as 7 kg of weight loss. On examnation, it was found that he had severe hypertension (190/110 mmHg) and hypertensive optic fundi. On chest X-ray, cardiomegaly and bilateral lung infiltrations was evident and biochemical data indicated renal dysfunction (serum creatinine 2.35 mg/dl), high levels of plasma renin activity (39.1 ng/ml/hour normal;0.6-3.9) and aldosterone concentration (176 pg/ml normal;4.0-82.1), and inflammatory changes (CRP = 23 mg/dl). We also found that increased levels of LDH and decreased levels of hemoglobin which indicated hemolytic anemia and thrombotic microangiopathy. After the control of high blood pressure by intravenous administration of Calcium channel blockades, We performed renal biopsy, which had a finding of diffuse findings of onion skin lesion and global glomerular sclerosis compatible with the diagnosis of malignant hypertension. Any secondary etiologies including renal artery disease or collagen disease had not been identified. Seven days after the admission, we started hemodialysis for this patient because of the renal failure was not resolved. We also had startred ACE inhibitors. We stopped the diuretics and minimized the ultrafiltration. Twenty-five days after the admission the patients was withdrawn from dialysis with the urine volume around 2000 ml/day and the serum creatinine concentration 5.29 mg/dl. He was discharged without any aid of dialysis and with small number of anti-hypertensives. Four months after the discharge, his serum creatinine concentration was 3.36 mg/dl and his blood pressure was 139/85 mmHg with the ACE inhibitor and calcium channel blockades. Conclusions;The case suggested that the malignant hypertension might be triggered by COVID-19 vaccine injection, which is of clinical importance.

Role of Chest Radiography as the Imaging Tool in COVID Pandemic Era

Background: The present radiological COVID literature is mainly confined to the CT findings. Using High Resolution Computed tomography (HRCT) as a regular 1st line investigation put a large burden on radiology department and constitute a huge challenge for the infection control in CT suite. Materials and Methods: A prospective study of 700 consecutive COVID positive cases who underwent Chest Xray (CXR) and HRCT thorax were included in the study. Many of these CXR were repeated and followed up over a duration of time to see the progression of disease. Results: 392/700 (56%) were found to be negative for radiological thoracic involvement. 147/700 (21%) COVID positive patients showed lung consolidations, 115/700 (16.5%) presented with GGO, 40/700 (5.7%) with nodules and 42/700 (6%) with reticular–nodular opacities. 150/700 patients (21.4 %) had mild findings with total RALE severity score of 1-2. More extensive involvement was seen in 104/700 (14.8 %) and 43/700 (6.2%) patients, who had severity scores of 3-4 and 5-6 respectively. 11/700 patients had a severity score of >6 on their baseline CXR. Those with severity score of 5 or more than 5 (54/700, 7.7%) required aggressive treatment with mean duration of stay of 14 days, many of them died also (23/54, 42.5%). Conclusion: In cases of high clinical suspicion for COVID-19, a positive CXR may obviate the need for CT. Additionally, CXR utilization for early disease detection and followup may also play a vital role in areas around the world with limited access to CT and RT-PCR test.

Lung Perfusion SPECT/CT in Suspected Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension: Impact on Classification of Pulmonary Hypertension and Therapeutic Decision

Aim/Introduction: Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a difficult entity to diagnose due to its association with other etiologies causing pulmonary hypertension (PHT), mainly cardiological disease. Our aim is to analyse the value of pulmonary perfusion SPECT/CT in the presence of suspected CTEPH and to evaluate its impact on the diagnosis and subsequent therapeutic approach. Material(s) and Method(s): Retrospective series of 108 patients with suspected CTEPH who were performed a lung perfusion SPECT/CT in the presence of perfusion defects on planar images between March 2020-April 2022. Variables such as age, sex, scintigraphic result, other radiological findings, correlation with catheterisation and CT angiography, type of PHT (according to Dana Point Consensus Classification of Pulmonary Hypertension, California 2008) and therapy of choice after scintigraphy were analysed. Result(s): Mean age: 69 +/- 12 years (25-90). 54% women. In 55 patients(51%) CTEPH was ruled out by SPECT/CT(-), although other radiological findings were observed (13% chronic parenchymal pathology/post-COVID-19 infection, 7% cardiomegaly, 5% pleural effusion, 4% infiltrates consistent with COVID-19 infection,2% pulmonary nodule suspicious of malignancy). 6 of the 18 patients with catheterisation(33%) had a pulmonary capillary pressure(PCP) suspicious for CTEPH(<=15mmHg), which was ruled out after negative scintigraphy. In the 53(49%) confirmed CTEPH by SPECT/ CT(+), 28 with other radiological findings(36% chronic pulmonary pathology/post-COVID-19,11% pulmonary nodule suspicious of malignancy,11% infiltrates consistent with COVID-19 infection). 10 of 15 patients(67%) with CT angiography(-). 55% of the patients with catheterisation(11/20) presented with a PCP not suspicious of CTEPH(>=15mmHg), and were finally diagnosed with CTEPH after positive SPECT. In patients without CTEPH after SPECT(-), PHT was classified into the following types:37 with PHT type-II/left heart disease(6 candidates for valve replacement),9 type-III/pulmonary disease and/or hypoxaemia, 5 mixed type-II+III, 2 type-I (1 portal hypertension in cirrhotic patient and 1 scleroderma), 2 type-V (1 obstruction of tumour origin and 1 chronic renal failure). of the patients who were confirmed to have CTEPH, 19(36%) had purely embolic PHT(type-IV), with 5 being candidates for endacterectomy/ angioplasty, and the remaining 34(64%) had mixed PHT(24 type-II+IV, 5 type-III+IV, 5 type-II+III+IV), with 35% being candidates for surgery. Conclusion(s): Lung perfusion SPECT/CT imaging is a very useful test for the classification of pulmonary hypertension leading to better therapeutic management of these patients. The greatest efficiency is seen with a negative result as the embolic origin is excluded with excellent reliability, thus avoiding more aggressive and/or difficult-to-manage therapies. In addition, low-dose CT provides additional information of great clinical relevance.

Pericardial Effusion: A Potential Late Complication of COVID-19 Infection

Purpose: COVID-19 infection involves entry of SARS-CoV-2 virus into cells via interaction between its spike protein and angiotensin converting enzyme resulting in an NF-kappabeta mediated inflammatory response. A cytokine storm may cause organ dysfunction. Cardiac manifestations without pulmonary symptoms is uncommon but has been described in the literature during an acute infection. We report a rare case of a potential late cardiac complication months after an acute COVID-19 infection. Method(s): A 62-year-old male with hypertension and end stage renal disease on hemodialysis three times a week presented with fever, arthralgia and myalgia. He denied chest pain or respiratory symptoms. Patient tested positive for COVID-19 and received conservative management only. Over the next nine months he reported persistent fatigue and new onset of shortness of breath. He continued to be very compliant with dialysis. On presentation to the hospital, all laboratory investigations, including BUN (27mg/dL) were within normal limits. Chest X- ray revealed cardiomegaly. Echocardiogram showed a large circumferential pericardial effusion without tamponade. Pericardiocentesis was accomplished with removal of 1700 ml of bloody fluid. Cell count, LDH, protein and glucose was normal. Fungal, aerobic, and anaerobic cultures of the pericardial fluid was negative. No malignant cells were detected. Patient had gradual resolution of his symptoms. Serial echocardiograms at 1, 3 and 5 months revealed a persistent small pericardial effusion. Result(s): Cardiac manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 includes myocarditis, pericarditis and pericardial effusions. In case reports, the presence of the cardiac inflammatory state occurred simultaneously with an acute COVID-19 infection. In our case the COVID-19 infection occurred over nine months earlier yet remains a plausible explanation for his hemorrhagic pericardial effusion due to the absence of other identified causes. Further, COVID-19 molecular PCR testing of pericardial testing remains low yield due to its specific development for nasopharyngeal swab sampling. Conclusion(s): Cardiac manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection typically occur at the time of diagnosis. A late cardiac complication of COVID-19 may include pericardial inflammation with effusion. Further data and testing needs to be developed to confirm the diagnosis and guide therapy.

Preliminary results of follow-up of patients with multisystem inflammatory syndrome associated with COVID-19

Background and Aim: Kawasaki-like (multisystem inflammatory) syndrome associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection is characterized by acute severe systemic vasculitis, often with multi-organ dys-function and cardiac involvement. Although most patients recover, long-term outcomes are poorly studied [Gema de Lama Caro-Paton et al., 2021;Guimaraes D. et et al., 2021;Sharma C. et al., 2021]. Method(s): We analyzed the results of laboratory, clinical, radiologi-cal, ECG and EchoCG data in the dynamic observation of 15 patients (M 9, 1.5-16 yo, m = 7) in 3 months after the suffered MIS-C. Result(s): At the disease onset high refractory fever was observed in all cases, symptoms of Kawasaki disease in 12 (80%) of them, shock with multi-organ dysfunction-in 8 (53.3%), including symptoms of acute heart failure-in 5 (33%), concomitant in two cases with severe left ventricular dilatation with low LV EF. Myocardial damage was seen in 11 patients (73%), pericarditis in 12 (80%), coronary dilatation in two (13%);troponin level increased in 5 (33%), CK-MB-in 5 (33%), BNP-in 3 (25%). After 3 months, there were no signs of myocardial dysfunction and/or cardiomegaly in any patient, troponin and BNP levels normalized in all patients, a moderate increase of CK-MB was seen in 8 (53%), and coronary dilatation persisted in one patient. Arrhythmias were documented at onset in 9 (60%) patients, 3 (20%) after 3 months (p = 0.028). Conclusion(s): preliminary results of follow-up of children after MIS-C demonstrate favorable course in the majority of patients by clinical, laboratory, ECG and echocardiographic data. Further observations are needed to determine the long-term prognosis.

Cardiovascular Disease Detection on X-Ray Images with Transfer Learning

Cardiovascular disease is one of the most dangerous and common diseases in Vietnam and the World today. More worrying is that this disease commonly happened in young people in recent years. Especially in the context of the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, people with cardiovascular disease are at high risk of being infected by the Corona virus. Therefore, the identification and early diagnosis of cardiovascular disease are important and necessary research to help the patients. In this work, we propose using a transfer learning approach to detect and identify two common types of cardiovascular diseases, which are cardiomegaly disease and aortic aneurysm disease, through X-ray chest images. Specifically, this study used the transfer learning method with the pre-trained VGG16 deep learning model, combined with data pre-processing to identify cardiovascular diseases. Experiments are performed on a dataset that has been labeled by experts in the field of cardiology using three scenarios. Experimental results from three scenarios show that this approach is satisfactory with the accuracy of 0.95, 0.96, and 0.70, respectively. © 2022, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Deeplearningapproachfor detection of multiple respiratory diseasesfrom chest X-rayanalysis:Asurvey

Deep learning approach for detecting various respiratory diseases hasbeen challenging and mostdemanding research area. Withrapidly increase in number of patients suffering from respiratory diseases quick method hasbecome necessary for classification and detection of respiratory diseases. This survey paper offers a comparative study of various deep learning techniques that can use chest X-raysfordetection of various thoracic diseases.There is possibility of severe respiratory failure in some thoracic diseases if they are not treated in initial stages. Many digital image processing techniques,machine learning and deep learning models have been developed for this purpose[17]. Different forms of existing deep learning techniques including convolutional neural network (CNN), visual geometry group based neural network (VGG-16 and VGG-19) have been developed for respiratory disease prediction. But these all models have some limitations that they do not cover all respiratory diseases including Covid-19, Viral pneumonia and Tuberoculosis on single platform. Therefore, we propose our customized new deep learning model Clx-Net by using data augmentation technique to enlarge the area of available dataset[1][2] to make model more efficient with less time consumption per epoch and provide localization to identify infected region by examining chest X-ray images. Our focus is to develop a new unique deep learning based model Clx-Net which will be able to detect almost all major respiratorydiseases including Covid-19. It will simplify the detection of respiratory diseases and also find the location of infected chest area to make task easy for radiologists.

SLE ONSET POST COVID-19 VACCINATION: COINCIDENTAL or ASSOCIATION?

Background: Numerous immune-mediated diseases fare or new disease onset after SARS-CoV2-vaccination have been reported. There were case reports showed the immune-mediated disease fare post vaccination but study on new disease occurs post Covid-19 vaccination is still lacking. Objectives: To describe two SLE cases that diagnosed post Covid-19 vaccination. Methods: Case report Results: 14 years old girl, post Covid-19 vaccination 1st dose 3 weeks ago presented with 2 day history of giddiness, breathlessness, vomiting and diarrhea prior to admission. She also complained of frothy urine for the past 1 week associated with lower limbs swelling and facial puffiness. Clinical examination noted she had sparse hair, oral ulcers and discoid lupus at the ear concha. She also noted to have periorbital puffiness with pedal edema. Lung auscultation noted bi-basal crepitations. Blood investigation noted ANA positive (1:640, speckled) with low complement 3 (0.1g/L). Her full blood count showed leucopenia (3100 UL) with low lymphocyte count of 810UL. UFEME noted protein of 3 + and red blood cell of 2+ with normal renal profile. Her serum albumin was 22g/L. Chest x ray showed clear lung field with no cardiomegaly. Her 24-hour urine protein showed proteinuria of 2.345g/dl and her renal biopsy showed mesangial proliferative lupus nephritis class iI. She was given intravenous methyl-prednisolone 500mg OD for 3 days and discharged with tapering dose of prednisolone, hydroxychloroquine, calcium supplements, perindopril and frusemide. Another case was a 17 year-old female, post covid-19 vaccination 10 weeks, presented with 3 weeks history of bilateral lower limbs weakness with difficulty in getting up from chair. She also had fever on and off with cough for 1 week. There was no alopecia, oral ulcer, facial rash or photosensitivity. No joints pain. Clinical examination noted presence of proximal myopathy with stable vital signs. Other systemic examinations were unremarkable. Blood investigation noted ANA positive (1: 640, homogenous and speckled) with low complements level (C3 0.19g/L and C4 0.049 g/L).Her creatine kinase was 2367U/L and EMG showed evidence of irritable myopathic process which is consistent with inflammatory myositis. Her TFT was normal. Myositis panel showed anti-Ku and anti-Ro 52 were positive. She was treated as SLE with myositis and intravenous methylprednisolone was given. She discharge well with tapering dose of prednisolone and azathioprine. Her creatine kinase showed improvement with immunosuppression therapy and she was advised on intensive physiotherapy. Conclusion: The onset of these two SLE cases were occurred within the 2 month of post covid-19 vaccination. Whether Covid-19 vaccination direct contribute to the occurrence of SLE remained inconclusive. More studies are required to show its correlation between onset of SLE and Covid-19 vaccination.

ChestX-Ray6: Prediction of multiple diseases including COVID-19 from chest X-ray images using convolutional neural network.

In the last few decades, several epidemic diseases have been introduced. In some cases, doctors and medical physicians are facing difficulties in identifying these diseases correctly. A machine can perform some of these identification tasks more accurately than a human if it is trained correctly. With time, the number of medical data is increasing. A machine can analyze this medical data and extract knowledge from this data, which can help doctors and medical physicians. This study proposed a lightweight convolutional neural network (CNN) named ChestX-ray6 that automatically detects pneumonia, COVID19, cardiomegaly, lung opacity, and pleural from digital chest x-ray images. Here multiple databases have been combined, containing 9,514 chest x-ray images of normal and other five diseases. The lightweight ChestX-ray6 model achieved an accuracy of 80% for the detection of six diseases. The ChestX-ray6 model has been saved and used for binary classification of normal and pneumonia patients to reveal the model's generalization power. The pre-trained ChestX-ray6 model has achieved an accuracy and recall of 97.94% and 98% for binary classification, which outweighs the state-of-the-art (SOTA) models.

Pericardial Effusion: A Potential Late Complication of COVID-19 Infection

COVID-19 infection involves entry of SARS-CoV-2 virus into cells via interaction between its spike protein and angiotensin converting enzyme resulting in an NF-kB mediated inflammatory response. Cardiac manifestations without pulmonary symptoms is uncommon but has been described in the literature during an acute infection. We report a rare case of a potential late cardiac complication months after an acute COVID-19 infection. 62-year-old male with hypertension and end stage renal disease on hemodialysis three times a week. Patient presented with fever, arthralgia and myalgia. He denied chest pain or respiratory symptoms. Patient tested positive for COVID-19 and received only treatment of symptoms. Over the next nine months he reported persistent fatigue and new onset of shortness of breath. He continued dialysis without interruption. His symptoms progressed resulting in hospital admission. All laboratory investigations, including BUN (27mg/dL), were within normal limits. Chest Xray revealed cardiomegaly. Echocardiogram showed a large pericardial effusion without tamponade. Pericardiocentesis was accomplished with removal of 1700 ml of bloody fluid. Cell count, LDH, protein and glucose was normal. Fungal, viral, aerobic and anaerobic cultures of the pericardial fluid was negative. No malignant cells detected. Serial echocardiograms at 1, 3 and 5 months revealed a persistent small pericardial effusion. Cardiac manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 includes myocarditis, pericarditis and pericardial effusions. In case reports, the presence of the cardiac inflammatory state occurred simultaneously with an acute COVID-19 infection. In our case the COVID-19 infection occurred over nine months earlier yet remains a plausible explanation for his hemorrhagic pericardial effusion due to the absence of other identified causes. Further, COVID-19 molecular PCR testing of pericardial testing remains low yield due to its specific development for nasopharyngeal swab sampling. Cardiac manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection typically occur at the time of diagnosis. A late cardiac complication of COVID-19 may include pericardial inflammation with effusion. Further data and testing needs to be developed to confirm the diagnosis and guide therapy.

A CONFOUNDING CASE OF NON-ISCHEMIC CARDIOMYOPATHY: ACQUIRED MYOCARDITIS FROM COVID-19 AND SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS LEADING TO CLINICAL HEART FAILURE

CASE: We report a 50-year-old Caucasian female with a history of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in remission and chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 5. The patient presented with dyspnea on exertion and orthopnea for two weeks. Six weeks ago, she was diagnosed with COVID-19 after presenting to the ED for substernal chest pain, myalgias, and fatigue. During this admission, she denied any current joint pain, chest pain, or rashes. She denies a history of alcohol or illicit drug use. EKG in the ED showed T-wave inversions in lead I and aVL, stable from prior EKG. The brain natriuretic peptide level was elevated at 3,500 pg/ml. There was no transaminitis, and kidney function was at baseline. Chest x-ray showed pulmonary vascular congestion and cardiomegaly. A transthoracic echocardiogram showed a left ventricular ejection fraction of 15-20% with severe global hypokinesis. The patient had a full cardiomyopathy workup. We ruled out ischemic cardiomyopathy with a negative coronary angiogram. Non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NICMO) workup was initiated, with a focus on viral or autoimmune myocarditis. While a cardiac MRI would have been the gold standard to assess for myocardial scarring, the patient's CKD status prohibited this possibility. Similarly, an endomyocardial biopsy was not performed due to its low sensitivity for diagnosing viral or autoimmune myocarditis. Without evidence of infiltrative disease, or other exposures, it was deemed that the patient's recent history of COVID-19 infection, in conjunction with underlying SLE, were the causes of her new-onset NICMO. The patient's dyspnea responded to intravenous bumetanide. We initiated guideline-directed medical therapy with carvedilol and isosorbide-dinitrate. She continues regular follow-up in the outpatient heart failure clinic. IMPACT/DISCUSSION: Classification and evaluation of NICMO can be broad, and thus the clinical picture plays an essential role in the workup. Acquired cardiomyopathy from prior myocarditis was the most likely etiology of our patient's new-onset NICMO. Our patient had no clinical symptoms of myocarditis prior to her exposure to COVID-19, making it unlikely that SLE was the sole driving factor. There is a known association between COVID-19 and myocarditis. A few proposed mechanisms for COVID-19 induced myocarditis include upregulation of cytokines, particularly interleukin-6, and downregulation of ACE2, leading to microvascular and cardiac pericyte dysfunction. Cytokine release from COVID-19 coupled with subclinical SLE could have acted synergistically to cause this patient's condition. Given the increasing incidence of COVID-19 infections, internists must consider COVID-19 exposures during the workup of new-onset heart failure. CONCLUSION: The workup for NICMO in the COVID-19 era must include detailed history taking for sick contacts and prior history of COVID-19 diagnosis. More research is needed to determine if COVID-19 infection can increase the risk of NICMO in patients with a known history of SLE.

Association of severe COVID-19 outcomes with radiological scoring and cardiomegaly: findings from the COVID-19 inpatients database, Japan.

PURPOSE: We aimed to characterize novel coronavirus infections based on imaging [chest X-ray and chest computed tomography (CT)] at the time of admission. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We extracted data from 396 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who were managed at 68 hospitals in Japan from January 25 to September 2, 2020. Case patients were categorized as severe (death or treatment with invasive ventilation during hospitalization) and non-severe groups. The imaging findings of the groups were compared by calculating odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs), adjusted for sex, age, and hospital size (and radiographic patient positioning for cardiomegaly). Chest X-ray and CT scores ranged from 0 to 72 and 0 to 20, respectively. Optimal cut-off values for these scores were determined by a receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: The median age of the 396 patients was 48 years (interquartile range 28-65) and 211 (53.3%) patients were male. Thirty-two severe cases were compared to 364 non-severe cases. At the time of admission, abnormal lesions on chest X-ray and CT were mainly observed in the lower zone/lobe. Among severe cases, abnormal lesions were also seen in the upper zone/lobe. After adjustment, the total chest X-ray and CT score values showed a dose-dependent association with severe disease. For chest X-ray scores, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.91 (95% CI = 0.86-0.97) and an optimal cut-off value of 9 points predicted severe disease with 83.3% sensitivity and 84.7% specificity. For chest CT scores, the AUC was 0.94 (95% CI = 0.89-0.98) and an optimal cut-off value of 11 points predicted severe disease with 90.9% sensitivity and 82.2% specificity. Cardiomegaly was strongly associated with severe disease [adjusted OR = 24.6 (95% CI = 3.7-166.0)]. CONCLUSION: Chest CT and X-ray scores and the identification of cardiomegaly could be useful for classifying severe COVID-19 on admission.

Systematic Review of Cardiovascular Manifestations in COVID-19 and Management Consideration

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a health problem that is still engulfing the world that contributes to the high mortality rate globally. Death arises from the severity of the disease due to complications in important organs such as the heart. AIM: The purpose of this study was to systematically review the manifestations of cardiovascular disease in COVID-19 patients and their management in terms of published articles. METHODS: This research is a systematic review research. The research was conducted using the PRISMA method. Article searches are carried out by online publications through PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar that meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The population is articles about the manifestations of cardiovascular disease in COVID-19 patients and their management between 2011 and 2021. Inclusion criteria are studies that examine the manifestations of cardiovascular disease in COVID-19 patients and their management using primary data in the form of cohort research designs in English and full text available. The exclusion criteria were a case study, review study, and used secondary data. The data were analyzed by univariate analysis by calculating the frequency and percentage. RESULTS: The results show that several manifestations of cardiovascular disease in COVID-19 patients include cardiac injury, heart failure, myocardial infarction, myocarditis, cardiomegaly, and others. Complications of these diseases occur with or without comorbidities, and the risk increases with comorbid cardiovascular disease. The management of COVID-19 patients is basically done with antiviral agents, reducing symptoms and protecting important organs such as the heart. CONCLUSION: In the treatment of COVID-19 patients with cardiovascular complications, the use of antiviral agents such as lopinavir or ritonavir should be used with caution because: may interact with cardiovascular drugs. Mechanical circulation support is suggested, and the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation can also be performed to treat cardiovascular complications in COVID-19 patients.

COVID19 INFECTION AND LIBMAN -SACKS ENDOCARDITIS IN PAST VALVE REPAIRED PATIENT

Objective: The patient was a 61-year-old woman who typically underwent mitral valve replacement and tricuspid valve repair in 2011. During these years, she underwent an annual checkup and experienced no particular problems. The potential patient contracted Covid 19 a month ago and underwent conservative treatment. The patient displayed no specific symptoms, no fever, and her Covid 19 disease was mild. In the accompanying echocardiography, we notice a lump on the atrial surface of the Tricuspid valve that we instantly suspect of local vegetation or heart mass. As a result, we admitted the patient to resume the examination. Design and method: Multi-slice (16) spiral thoracic CT scan: Sternotomy and MVR are seen. Cardiomegaly is evident. Patchy peripheral ground-glass opacities are seen bilaterally, suggesting covid-19 pneumonia;correlation with clinical and paraclinical data is recommended. Degenerative changes are perceived in the thoracic spine. There is no pleural effusion. Blood cultures and urinary trachea were requested to diagnose endocarditis, and she was also asked to have an esophageal echocardiogram. The antibiotic Meropenem 500 was started three times a day with vancomycin 1 gram twice a day for prophylaxis. After these examinations, the mass diagnosis was rejected as the image of vegetation on echocardiography did not found echogenicity similar to cardiac tissue and was denser. Consequently, we diagnosed vegetation. According to the negative culture results, and the patient had no symptoms (chills, heart pain), this patient's diagnosis of an immunological reaction caused by Covid disease was made. Libman -sacks endocarditis is a type of sterile nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) secondary to inflammation. Results: In this rare case, the vital point is that immunological reaction after covid can give rise to vegetation on the heart artificial valve and can be typically established with endocarditis. Covid can cause libman sac endocarditis, then we consider patients with heart disease maybe get limban sac or other forms of immunological reaction after covid virus. Conclusions: Concerning the explicit rejection of all the causes, the patient was diagnosed correctly with limb sac endocarditis. She underwent anticoagulant therapy and corticosteroid therapy accordingly and was recovered fully.

Cerebral Infarction Following Correction of Aortic Coarctation Surgery in Children

Background: Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) is a congenital heart defect. Due to the narrowing of the descending aorta, blood flow mainly reduces after the stenosis, and CoA can occur at any region in the thoracic and abdominal aorta. Cardiac surgeons and cardiologists are familiar with postoperative complications of CoA;however, there are also some other complications that have not been reported to date. Case Presentation: The present study investigated three cases of CoA undergoing reconstructive surgery. Nevertheless, a couple of days after the surgery, they manifested symptoms suspected of cerebral infarction. Ischemic infarction was observed after performing brain computed tomography. Additionally, we discuss possible pathophysiology and reasons that can lead to this problem. Conclusions: In this case report, we presented three cases of CoA patients who underwent reconstructive surgery and manifested cerebral infarction as an adverse effect of the reconstructive surgery.