ABSTRACT
SARS-CoV-2 infection has been associated with cardiovascular disease in children, but which children need cardiac evaluation is unclear. We describe our experience evaluating 206 children for cardiac disease following SARS-CoV-2 infection (one of whom had ventricular ectopy) and propose a new guideline for management of these children. Routine cardiac screening after SARS-CoV-2 infection in children without any cardiac signs or symptoms does not appear to be high yield.
Subject(s)
Aftercare , COVID-19/physiopathology , Heart Diseases/diagnosis , Referral and Consultation , Adolescent , Ambulatory Care , Atrioventricular Block/diagnosis , Atrioventricular Block/etiology , Atrioventricular Block/physiopathology , Bradycardia/diagnosis , Bradycardia/etiology , Bradycardia/physiopathology , COVID-19/complications , Cardiology , Chest Pain/physiopathology , Child , Child, Preschool , Dyspnea/physiopathology , Echocardiography , Electrocardiography , Fatigue/physiopathology , Female , Heart Diseases/etiology , Heart Diseases/physiopathology , Humans , Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular/diagnosis , Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular/etiology , Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular/physiopathology , Hypertrophy, Right Ventricular/diagnosis , Hypertrophy, Right Ventricular/etiology , Hypertrophy, Right Ventricular/physiopathology , Implementation Science , Male , Pediatrics , Practice Guidelines as Topic , SARS-CoV-2 , Severity of Illness Index , Syncope/physiopathology , Ventricular Premature Complexes/diagnosis , Ventricular Premature Complexes/etiology , Ventricular Premature Complexes/physiopathology , Young AdultABSTRACT
A 34-year-old woman was seen in the emergency department for shortness of breath and chest pain. During a pandemic, it is easy to 'think horses and not zebras', and with a patient presenting with the classic coronavirus symptoms it would have been easy to jump to that as her diagnosis. After a careful history and examination, it became clear that there was another underlying diagnosis. Chest X-ray, echocardiogram and CT scan revealed marked right ventricular dilatation and pulmonary hypertension, alongside a persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC). Further investigation with cardiac MRI and coronary angiography at a tertiary centre demonstrated that she not only have a PLSVC but also a partial anomalous pulmonary venous drainage and sinus venosus atrial septal defect. This case highlights the importance of considering all differentials and approaching investigations in a logical manner.