The long-term effects of the Covid-19 infection on cardiac symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Besides the lungs, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can affect the cardiovascular, digestive, urinary, hepatic, and central nervous systems. Other than its short-term effects, COVID-19 may also cause long-term complications. In this study, we assessed long-term COVID-19 cardiovascular symptoms among patients in a cardiovascular clinic. METHOD: A retrospective cohort was conducted between October 2020 to May 2021 on patients at an outpatient cardiovascular clinic in Shiraz, Iran. Patients with a history of COVID-19 at least one year before their referral were included. Baseline information was extracted from the clinic's database. Data were collected regarding symptoms like dyspnea, chest pain, fatigue, and palpitations after a year of COVID-19. We also noted any major adverse cardiac events (MACE). RESULTS: Most common symptoms after a year of COVID-19 were exertional dyspnea (51.2%), dyspnea at rest (41.6%), fatigue (39%), and chest pain (27.1%). The symptoms were more prevalent in hospitalized patients than in non-hospitalized patients. The prevalence of MACE was about 6.1% during the 12-month follow-up, with this rate being higher in those with a history of hospitalization or comorbid diseases. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of cardiovascular symptoms was fairly high in patients at our clinic a year after COVID-19, and the most common symptom was dyspnea. Hospitalized patients had more MACE. (Clinicaltrial.gov number: NCT05715879)(04/02/2023).

Chest Tightness with Cycling Turned Out To Be Pneumomediastinum.

BACKGROUND Pneumomediastinum, or mediastinal emphysema, means air present inside the mediastinum. It usually presents with symptoms of chest pain and shortness of breath. Examination can be significant for crepitus along the neck area. There are many risk factors associated with pneumomediastinum, including asthma and COVID-19. Most cases of pneumomediastinum improve with conservative management, and surgery (mediastinotomy) is reserved for complicated cases with tension pneumomediastinum. CASE REPORT This is the case of a 23-year-old man who presented with chest tightness after 3.5 h of cycling. The patient did have a prior history of clinically stable asthma, with no recent exacerbation, and denied any other associative factors. Imaging was significant for pneumomediastinum. The patient was admitted for observation in the hospital and treated with supportive care, without any surgical intervention. The patient had appropriate improvement in his symptoms in 24 h. Repeat imaging showed improvement in the pneumomediastinum, and the patient was discharged to outpatient follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Our case presents a unique link between cycling and pneumomediastinum. Prolonged cycling may emerge as a risk factor for this complication. People with a previous history of pneumomediastinum should be careful to review other risk factors prior to planning long-distance bicycling. Physicians need to keep this differential diagnosis in mind when encountering a patient with similar symptoms so that a timely diagnosis is made.

Evaluating chest pain in patients with post COVID conditions permission to think outside of the box.

Chest pain is among the most common symptoms of post-COVID-19 Conditions (PCC) that prompts medical attention. Because the SARS-CoV-2 virus has proclivity for many organs and organ systems in the chest, ranging from the heart, lungs, great vessels, lymphatics, and peripheral nerves, clinicians evaluating patients with chest pain must consider a broad differential diagnosis and take a comprehensive approach to management.

Implementation of high-sensitivity troponin with a rapid diagnostic algorithm reduces emergency department length of stay for discharged patients.

INTRODUCTION: High sensitivity troponin (hs-cTn) and diagnostic algorithms are used to rapidly triage patients with symptoms of acute myocardial infarction in emergency departments (ED). However, few studies have evaluated the impact of simultaneously implementing hs-cTn and a rapid rule-out algorithm on length of stay (LOS). METHODS: We assessed the impact of transitioning from contemporary cTnI to hs-cTnI in 59,232 ED encounters over three years. hs-cTnI was implemented with an orderable series that included baseline, two-, four-, and six-hour specimens collected at provider discretion and operationalized with an algorithm to calculate the change in hs-cTnI from baseline and provide interpretations of "insignificant", "significant," or "equivocal." Patient demographics, results, chief complaint, disposition, and ED LOS were captured from the electronic medical record. RESULTS: cTnI was ordered for 31,875 encounters prior to hs-cTnI implementation and 27,357 after. The proportion of cTnI results above the 99th percentile upper reference limit decreased from 35.0% to 27.0% for men and increased from 27.8% to 34.8% for women. Among discharged patients, the median LOS decreased by 0.6 h (0.5-0.7). LOS among discharged patients with a chief complaint of chest pain decreased by 1.0 h (0.8-1.1) and further decreased by 1.2 h (1.0-1.3) if the initial hs-cTnI was below the limit of quantitation. The rate of acute coronary syndrome upon re-presentation within 30 days did not change post-implementation (0.10% versus 0.07%). CONCLUSION: Implementation of an hs-cTnI assay with a rapid rule-out algorithm decreased ED LOS among discharged patients, particularly among those with a chief complaint of chest pain.

Effect of a Senior Cardiology Nursing Role on Streamlining Assessment of Emergency Cardiology Presentations During COVID-19: An Observational Study.

INTRODUCTION: The Emergency Cardiology Coordinator (ECC) was a senior nursing role implemented from 14 April 2020 to 15 September 2020 at the Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service in South-East Queensland, Australia to streamline and expedite assessment of patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) with suspected cardiac problems. ECC implementation occurred in the context of the emergence of COVID-19. Evaluation of the impact of the ECC role focussed primarily on the time interval from triage to cardiology consult (TTCC). METHODS: ED and Cardiology Department data were extracted from electronic medical records for the period 2 September 2019 to 1 March 2021. The TTCC for each presenting problem (chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath, altered level of consciousness) was compared between patients seen by the ECC and those not seen on the days the ECC worked. The effect of COVID-19 on TTCC was assessed by an interrupted time series analysis. Data recorded by the ECC included patients seen and interventions provided. RESULTS: The ECC saw 378 patients. Most presented with chest pain (269/378, 71.2%). The ECC determined that 68.8% (260/378) required a cardiac assessment. Following COVID-19 the median weekly TTCC increased by 0.029 hours (1.74 min) each week on average relative to that beforehand (p=0.008). For patients seen by the ECC the median TTCC was 2.07 hours (interquartile range [IQR]: 1.44, 3.16) compared to 2.58 hours (IQR: 1.73, 3.80; p=0.007) for patients not seen by the ECC. Chest pain (ECC: 1.94 hours; no ECC: 2.41 hours; p=0.06) and non-obvious cardiac presenting problems (ECC: 1.77 hours; no ECC 3.05 hours; p=0.004) displayed the largest reductions in TTCC when the ECC was involved. Presentations with palpitations, respiratory distress and altered level of consciousness had similar TTCCs. CONCLUSION: The ECC role resulted in an overall decrease in TTCC despite the role coinciding with the emergence of COVID-19. In order to clarify the optimal strategy for the ECC role, further analyses involving patient risk factors and presenting problems along with a health economic evaluation of this model of care and the effect on patient outcomes will be required.

The change in pediatric subject symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in China: an increase in cardiac consultation.

BACKGROUND: It is reported that the adverse impact of nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) on the mental health of children and adolescents may lead to psychologically related disorders during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) period. Subject symptoms such as chest pain, chest tightness, and palpitation may be related to increased stress and anxiety in children and adolescents. The present research aimed to determine the number of pediatric consults and etiology of subject symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic period and compared it with the same timelines in 2019 and 2021 to discuss the impact of different periods on the organic disease onset of children with subject symptoms, especially in cardiac involvement. METHODS: Children who visited Qingdao Women and Children's Hospital, Qingdao University between January 23 to April 30, 2019 (pre-COVID-19 period), January 23 to April 30, 2020 (COVID-19 period), and January 23 to April 30, 2021 (post-COVID-19 period) presenting chest pain, chest tightness, and palpitation were recruited. Information to determine gender, age, medical history, department for the initial visit, clinical manifestations, time from the latest onset to the visit, and diagnosis were recorded. RESULT: A total of 891 patients were enrolled in the present study (514 males; median age: 7.72). One hundred twenty-three patients presented during the pre-COVID-19 period while 130 during the COVID-19 period, nevertheless, the number substantially increased during the post-COVID-19 period (n = 638). Cardiac etiology accounted for 1.68% (n = 15) of the patient population, including arrhythmias (n = 10, 1.12%), myocarditis (n = 4, 0.44%), and atrial septal defect (n = 1, 0.11%). There was no significant difference among groups in the distribution of organic etiology. The median time from the latest onset to the visit during the pre-COVID-19 period was 7 days compared to 10 days during the COVID-19 period and 3 days during the post-COVID period. CONCLUSION: During the post-COVID-19 period, the median time from the latest onset to the visit was significantly shorter than that in the pre-COVID-19 period or COVID-19 period. The pediatric consult of children with subject symptoms presented increased substantially during the post-COVID-19 period, while there was no significant difference in the number of patients involving the cardiac disease. Clinicians ought to be more careful to screen heart diseases to prevent missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis during special periods.

A 54-Year-Old Man With Migratory Pulmonary Consolidation and Progressive Dyspnea.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 54-year-old man with chronic hepatitis B was admitted to the hospital with progressive dyspnea on exertion. He reported experiencing intermittent fever, dyspnea on exertion, and relapsing pleuritic chest pain starting 6 months prior, after his first dose of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine. In the past 2 months, he had been admitted to the hospital twice and diagnosed with recurrent pneumonia. Under antibiotic treatment, his dyspnea and low-grade fever demonstrated waxing and waning behaviors. Migratory pulmonary consolidation, which moved from the left lower lobe to the right middle lobe, was identified and diagnosed as relapsing pneumonia. Chest CT scan was performed in a previous admission 2 months earlier that revealed multifocal peripheral consolidation in the left lower lobe and right middle lobe. His occupation required the maintenance of overall fitness, and he denied immunosuppressant use, illicit drug abuse, cigarette smoking, suspicious travel, suspicious contact, or family history. No recent history of trauma, surgery, or air travel was reported.

Coronary calcium scoring as first-line test to detect and exclude coronary artery disease in patients presenting to the general practitioner with stable chest pain: protocol of the cluster-randomised CONCRETE trial.

INTRODUCTION: Identifying and excluding coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with atypical angina pectoris (AP) and non-specific thoracic complaints is a challenge for general practitioners (GPs). A diagnostic and prognostic tool could help GPs in determining the likelihood of CAD and guide patient management. Studies in outpatient settings have shown that the CT-based coronary calcium score (CCS) has high accuracy for diagnosis and exclusion of CAD. However, the CT CCS test has not been tested in a primary care setting. In the COroNary Calcium scoring as fiRst-linE Test to dEtect and exclude coronary artery disease in GPs patients with stable chest pain (CONCRETE) study, the impact of direct access of GPs to CT CCS will be investigated. We hypothesise that this will allow for early diagnosis of CAD and treatment, more efficient referral to the cardiologist and a reduction of healthcare-related costs. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: CONCRETE is a pragmatic multicentre trial with a cluster randomised design, in which direct GP access to the CT CCS test is compared with standard of care. In both arms, at least 40 GP offices, and circa 800 patients with atypical AP and non-specific thoracic complaints will be included. To determine the increase in detection and treatment rate of CAD in GP offices, the CVRM registration rate is derived from the GPs electronic registration system. Individual patients' data regarding cardiovascular risk factors, expressed chest pain complaints, quality of life, downstream testing and CAD diagnosis will be collected through questionnaires and the electronic GP dossier. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: CONCRETE has been approved by the Medical Ethical Committee of the University Medical Center of Groningen. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NTR 7475; Pre-results.

A 31-Year-Old Man With Fever, Atypical Chest Pain, and Mediastinal Mass.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 31-year-old Asian male never-smoker living in the upper Midwest with a past medical history of congenital bilateral hearing loss sought treatment with a 1-week history of fever, fatigue, right-sided pleuritic chest pain, shortness of breath, productive cough with mild intermittent hemoptysis, night sweats, and unintentional 10-lb weight loss over 4 weeks. He was adopted from South Korea as an infant, and thus the family history was unknown. He worked in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning business, performing installations and repairs. There was no known exposure to animals, caves, rivers, lakes, or wooded areas. He travelled to South Korea and New Hampshire approximately 9 months previously. He did not take any medication.

Impact of telemedicine on clinical practice patterns for patients with chest pain in the emergency department.

BACKGROUND: The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the rapid adoption of novel telemedicine programs within the emergency department (ED) to minimize provider exposure and conserve personal protective equipment (PPE). In this study, we sought to assess how the adoption of telemedicine in the ED impacted clinical order patterns for patients with chest pain. We hypothesize that clinicians would rely more on imaging and laboratory workup for patients receiving telemedicine due to limitation in physical exams. METHODS: A single-center, retrospective, propensity score matched study was designed for patients presenting with chest pain at an ED. The study period was defined between April 1st, 2020 and September 30th, 2020. The frequency of the most frequent lab, imaging, and medication orders were compared. In addition, poisson regression analysis was performed to compare the overall number of orders between the two groups. RESULTS: 455 patients with chest pain who received telemedicine were matched to 455 similar patients without telemedicine with standardized mean difference < 0.1 for all matched covariates. The proportion of frequent lab, imaging, and medication orders were similar between the two groups. However, telemedicine patients received more orders overall (RR, 1.19, 95% CI, 1.11, 1.28, p-value < 0.001) as well as more imaging, lab, and nursing orders. The number of medication orders between the two groups remained similar. CONCLUSIONS: Frequent labs, imaging, and medications were ordered in similar proportions between the two cohorts. However, telemedicine patients had more orders placed overall. This study is an important objective assessment of the impact that telemedicine has upon clinical practice patterns and can guide future telemedicine implementation after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Atypical presentation of COVID-19 in a patient with type 2 diabetes at an urban primary care facility in Accra, Ghana.

This is a case report of a 55-year-old man with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus who presented with progressive breathlessness, chest pain and hyperglycaemia. An initial impression of a chest infection was made. Management was initiated with antibiotics, but this was unsuccessful, and he continued to desaturate. A screen for Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) returned positive. There was no prodrome of fever or flu-like illness or known contact with a patient known to have COVID-19. This case is instructive as he didn't fit the typical case definition for suspected COVID-19. There is significant community spread in Ghana, therefore COVID-19 should be a differential diagnosis in patients who present with hyperglycaemia and respiratory symptoms in the absence of a febrile illness. Primary care doctors must have a high index of suspicion in cases of significant hyperglycaemia and inability to maintain oxygen saturation. Patients known to have diabetes and those not known to have diabetes may develop hyperglycaemia subsequent to COVID-19. A high index of suspicion is crucial for early identification, notification for testing, isolation, treatment, contact tracing and possible referral or coordination of care with other specialists. Early identification will protect healthcare workers and patients alike from cross-infection.

Self-limited myocarditis presenting with chest pain and ST segment elevation in adolescents after vaccination with the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine.

Two adolescent males presented within 3 days after the first and second dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine with chest pain. Elevated troponin levels, ST segment elevation, and enhancement of the myocardium in cardiac MRI suggested myocarditis. Left ventricular function remained normal, symptoms resolved, and patients were discharged in 4 days. BNT162b2 vaccine may be associated with self-limited myocarditis in youth.

Patients With Acute Myocarditis Following mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination.

Importance: Vaccine-associated myocarditis is an unusual entity that has been described for the smallpox vaccine, but only anecdotal case reports have been described for other vaccines. Whether COVID-19 vaccination may be linked to the occurrence of myocarditis is unknown. Objective: To describe a group of 7 patients with acute myocarditis over 3 months, 4 of whom had recent messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccination. Design, Setting, and Participants: All patients referred for cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging at Duke University Medical Center were asked to participate in a prospective outcomes registry. Two searches of the registry database were performed: first, to identify patients with acute myocarditis for the 3-month period between February 1 and April 30 for 2017 through 2021, and second, to identify all patients with possible vaccine-associated myocarditis for the past 20 years. Once patients with possible vaccine-associated myocarditis were identified, data available in the registry were supplemented by additional data collection from the electronic health record and a telephone interview. Exposures: mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Main Outcomes and Measures: Occurrence of acute myocarditis by cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging. Results: In the 3-month period between February 1 and April 30, 2021, 7 patients with acute myocarditis were identified, of which 4 occurred within 5 days of COVID-19 vaccination. Three were younger male individuals (age, 23-36 years) and 1 was a 70-year-old female individual. All 4 had received the second dose of an mRNA vaccine (2 received mRNA-1273 [Moderna], and 2 received BNT162b2 [Pfizer]). All presented with severe chest pain, had biomarker evidence of myocardial injury, and were hospitalized. Coincident testing for COVID-19 and respiratory viruses provided no alternative explanation. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging findings were typical for myocarditis, including regional dysfunction, late gadolinium enhancement, and elevated native T1 and T2. Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, magnetic resonance imaging findings were found to be consistent with acute myocarditis in 7 patients; 4 of whom had preceding COVID-19 vaccination. Further investigation is needed to determine associations of COVID-19 vaccination and myocarditis.

CT coronary angiography and COVID-19: inpatient use in acute chest pain service.

OBJECTIVES: CT coronary angiography (CTCA) is a well-validated clinical tool in the evaluation of chest pain. In our institution, CTCA availability was increased in January 2020, and subsequently, expanded further to replace all exercise testing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our objective was to assess the impact of increased utilisation of CTCA on length of stay in patients presenting with chest pain in the prepandemic era and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Study design was retrospective. Patients referred for cardiology review between October 2019 and May 2020 with chest pain and/or dyspnoea were broken into three cohorts: a baseline cohort, a cohort with increased CTCA availability and a cohort with increased CTCA availability, but after the national lockdown due to COVID-19. Coronary angiography and revascularisation, length of stay and 30-day adverse outcomes were assessed. RESULTS: 513 patients (35.3% female) presented over cohorts 1 (n=179), 2 (n=182), and 3 (n=153). CTCA use increased from 7.8% overall in cohort 1% to 20.4% in cohort 3. Overall length of stay for the patients undergoing CTCA decreased from a median of 4.2 days in cohort 1 to 2.5 days in cohort 3, with no increase in 30 days adverse outcomes. Invasive coronary angiogram rates were 45.8%, 39% and 34.2% across the cohorts. 29.6% underwent revascularisation in cohort 1, 15.9% in cohort 2 and to 16.4% in cohort 3. CONCLUSIONS: Increased CTCA availability was associated with a significantly reduced length of stay both pre-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 lockdown, without any increase in 30-day adverse outcomes.

Cardiac Injury and Outcomes of Patients With COVID-19 in New York City.

BACKGROUND: Prior studies demonstrated that elevated troponin in patients with COVID-19 was associated with increased in-hospital mortality. However, the association of cardiac injury and electrocardiogram (ECG) changes remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of cardiac injury with ECG abnormality and with in-hospital mortality. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients who were hospitalised with COVID-19 between 13 March and 31 March 2020. Those patients with troponin I measurement were included in the study and divided into those who had elevated troponin I (cardiac injury group) and those who did not (no cardiac injury group). Statistical analyses were performed to compare differences between the groups, and a multivariate logistic regression model was constructed to assess the effect of cardiac injury on in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: One hundred and eight-one (181) patients were included, 54 of whom were in the cardiac injury group and 127 in the no cardiac injury group. The mean age was 64.0±16.6 years and 55.8% were male. The cardiac injury group was more likely to be older, have a history of coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure compared to the no cardiac injury group (all p<0.05); there was no difference in presence of chest pain (cardiac injury group versus no cardiac injury group: 17.0% versus 22.5%, p=0.92); the cardiac injury group had a significantly higher value of brain natriuretic peptide, procalcitonin, interleukin-6 and D-dimer (all p<0.05); they had numerically more frequent ECG abnormalities such as T wave inversion (13.2% versus 7.5%, p=0.23) and ST depression (1.9% versus 0.0%, p=0.13) although statistically not significant; they had significantly higher in-hospital mortality (42.3% versus 12.6%, p<0.001). With a multivariate logistic regression model, age (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 1.033 [1.002-1.065], p=0.034) and cardiac injury (3.25 [1.40-7.54], p=0.006) were independent predictors of in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with COVID-19 with elevated troponin I had a relatively low proportion of chest pain and ECG abnormality. Cardiac injury was independently associated with in-hospital mortality.

An Exploration of the help-seeking experiences of patients in an allied professions-led rapid access chest pain pathway: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: A number of studies have explored delayed help-seeking practices for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and have indentified multiple intersecting factors which may play a role, for example, attributing symptoms, age, gender, ethnicity and contextual influences. However, the pathway to diagnosis for suspected coronary heart disease (CHD) symptoms in a rapid access chest pain clinic (RACPC) context is underexplored. The objective of this study was to examine patients' help-seeking experiences of accessing RACPC services, from the point at which they notice and interpret symptoms, to their decision to seek help from their general practitioner. DESIGN: Qualitative study. SETTING: Interviews were conducted in the RACPC at Queen Mary's Roehampton Hospital, London, UK. PARTICIPANTS: Maximum variation sampling was used to recruit 30 participants (15 men and 15 women) referred to a RACPC, using sampling dimensions of age, ethnicity and occupation. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews focussed on the patient experience of their pathway to the RACPC. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview data. RESULTS: Participant interpretation of symptoms was shaped by multiple influences; reluctance to seek help contributed to delay; various factors acted as drivers as well as barriers to help-seeking; and GP referrals to RACPC were based on symptoms as well as patients' need for reassurance. CONCLUSION: We found complex issues shaped the patient's decision-making when accessing the RACPC, including making sense of symptoms and help-seeking practices. These findings can be used to develop health promotion literature to encourage early help-seeking and improve RACPC services.

Impact of COVID-19 upon changes in emergency room visits with chest pain of possible cardiac origin.

OBJECTIVES: A decrease in Emergency Department (ED) visits for cardiac conditions has recently been reported from the US and Western Europe due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The data are still scant, and the correlation between cardiac symptoms and confirmed diagnoses are not available. There are no reports on changes in ED volumes at a national level, or from countries in the Asia-Middle Eastern region. We report data from national referral centers for tertiary care and cardiac care centers in Qatar, which see > 80% of cardiac emergencies in the country. RESULTS: We analyzed 102,033 ED visits in the COVID-19-era (March-April 2020 and 2019) and determined the proportion presenting for cardiac symptoms and their confirmed diagnoses. We observed a 16-37% decline in ED volumes overall, with a 25-50% decline in patients presenting with cardiac symptoms in March and April 2020 compared with March and April 2019. Among those presenting with cardiac symptoms, we observed a 24-43% decline in cardiac diagnoses in March and April 2020 compared with March and April 2019.

Development of bullous lung disease in a patient with severe COVID-19 pneumonitis.

A 60-year-old man presented with sudden onset right-sided chest pain and gradually worsening shortness of breath on exertion. Eleven days earlier, he had an admission with COVID-19 pneumonitis requiring 8 days of continuous positive airway pressure. He was tachypnoeic with a respiratory rate of 24 breaths/min, oxygen saturations on room air of 91%. Examination revealed reduced air entry and a resonant percussion note over the right hemithorax. Chest radiograph suggested a complex right pneumothorax; however, a CT chest was notable for widespread right-sided bullous lung disease. After a day of observation on a COVID-19 ward (and a repeat radiograph with a stable appearance), he was discharged with a 2-week follow-up with the respiratory team, safety netting advice and ambulatory oxygen. This case suggests that bullous lung disease may be a complication of severe COVID-19 pneumonitis.