Abnormal Echocardiographic Findings in Hospitalized Patients with Covid-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. / Achados Ecocardiográficos Anormais em Pacientes Internados com Covid-19: Uma Revisão Sistemática e Metanálise.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) can lead to severe respiratory distress and acute cardiac injury, but it is unclear how often it can cause cardiac dysfunction. OBJECTIVE: In this systematic review, we aimed to summarize the main echocardiographic findings in patients with Covid-19. METHODS: We systematically searched in PUBMED, EMBASE, LILACS and Cochrane databases, in addition MedRxiv and Scielo preprints from inception to July 21st, 2021. Studies reporting echocardiographic data in patients with Covid-19 were included. Demographic characteristics, previous cardiovascular disease (CVD), and echocardiographic findings were extracted. We performed a meta-analysis of proportions to estimate the main echocardiographic findings. The level of significance was p < 0.05. RESULTS: From 11,233 studies, 38 fulfilled inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. The estimated proportions of left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction were 25% (95%CI: 19, 31; I293%), abnormal global longitudinal strain 34% (95% CI 23, 45; I290%), righ ventricular (RV) systolic dysfunction 17% (95%CI 13, 21; I290%), pericardial effusion 17% (95%CI: 9, 26; I297%), and pulmonary hypertension 23% (95%CI: 15, 33, I2 96%). LV systolic dysfunction was directly associated with study-specific prevalence of previous abnormal echocardiogram (p<0.001). The proportion of patients in mechanical ventilation, indicating severity of disease, did not explain the heterogeneity in the proportions of LV dysfunction (p=0.37). CONCLUSION: Among hospitalized patients with Covid-19, LV dysfunction has been reported in one quarter, with smaller proportions of right ventricular dysfunction, pericardial effusion and pulmonary hypertension. However, there was a higher proportion of LV dysfunction among studies reporting the presence of prior heart disease, which suggests that cardiac dysfunction was mostly pre-existing.

FUNDAMENTOS: A doença do coronavírus 2019 (Covid-19) pode levar à insuficiência respiratória grave e lesão cardíaca aguda, mas não está claro com que frequência ela pode causar disfunção cardíaca. OBJETIVOS: Nesta revisão sistemática, nosso objetivo foi resumir os principais achados ecocardiográficos em pacientes com Covid-19. MÉTODOS: Conduzimos uma busca sistemática nos bancos de dados PUBMED, EMBASE, LILACS e Cochrane, além de artigos não pulicados ( preprints ) no MedRxiv e Scielo desde o início até 21 de julho de 2021. Foram incluídos estudos que apresentaram dados ecocardiográficos de pacientes com Covid-19. Características demográficas, doença cardiovascular (DCV) prévia, e achados ecocardiográficos foram extraídos dos estudos. Realizamos uma metanálise de proporções para estimar os principais achados ecocardiográficos. O nível de significância foi p<0,05. RESULTADOS: Do total de 11 233 estudos, 38 preencheram os critérios de inclusão e foram incluídos na metanálise. A proporção estimada de disfunção sistólica do ventrículo esquerdo (VE) foi 25% (IC95%: 19, 31; I2 93%), strain longitudinal global anormal 34% (IC95% 23, 45; I2 90%), disfunção sistólica do ventrículo direito (VD) 17% (IC95% 13, 21; I2 90%), derrame pericárdico 17% (IC95%: 9, 26; I2 97%), e hipertensão pulmonar 23% (IC95%: 15, 33, I2 96%). Disfunção sistólica do VE foi diretamente associada com prevalência de ecocardiograma anormal prévio nos estudos (p<0,001). A proporção de pacientes em ventilação mecânica, indicando gravidade da doença, não explicou a heterogeneidade nas proporções de disfunção do VE (p=0,37). CONCLUSÃO: Entre os pacientes internados com Covid-19, a disfunção ventricular esquerda foi descrita em um quarto dos pacientes, com menores proporções de disfunção do ventrículo direito, derrame pericárdico e hipertensão pulmonar. No entanto, houve uma proporção mais alta de disfunção do VE nos estudos que relataram presença de doença cardíaca prévia, sugerindo que a disfunção cardíaca era predominantemente pré-existente.

Clinical variants of myocardial involvement in COVID-19-positive patients: a cumulative experience of 2020.

Myocardial injury, diagnosed by troponin elevation, is common in COVID-19 patients, but cardiac involvement with clinical manifestations occurs less frequently. We analyzed the literature on COVID-19 (2020) and systematically reviewed the cases where individual patient data were presented. We searched PubMed and Google Scholar for "COVID," "COVID-19," and "coronavirus" in combination with "myocarditis," "heart failure," "takotsubo," "cardiomyopathy," and "cardiogenic shock." We identified 90 cases of COVID-19 with myocardial involvement, mean age 52.9 ± 18.3 years, 54.5% males. Of them, 55 survived (61.1%), 20 died (22.2%), and in 15 (16.7%) the outcome was unknown at the time of publication. Among patients with known outcome, mortality was 26%. The nadir LVEF was 31.7 ± 13.1% and recovered to 50.1 ± 16.0%. Pericardial effusion was a common finding, reported in 21 (23.3%) of patients, including moderate size effusion in 8.9% and large in 7.8%. The effusion caused tamponade in 11 (12.2%) of patients. Out of 83 patients who experienced a decrease in LVEF, 30 could be classified as takotsubo syndrome. The takotsubo patients were older than those with myocarditis, and with relatively high proportion of males. About one third of the cases was complicated by cardiogenic shock. Myocardial involvement in COVID-19 patients most often presents as a new, rapid decrease in LVEF, although normal LVEF or takotsubo-like wall motion pattern does not rule out myocarditis. Moderate and large pericardial effusion is common, and cardiac tamponade occurs in 12.2% of patients. Cardiogenic shock develops in one third of the patients. Mortality appears to be high at 26%.

Hemorrhagic pericardial effusion leading to cardiac tamponade, as presenting feature of COVID-19 in a young man: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) is an acute respiratory illness, caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus2 (SARS-COV2) which quickly grew to a pandemic in late 2019 and led to substantial public health problems. Among the extrapulmonary manifestations reported, cardiovascular implications are remarkable as they can be potentially lethal. There have been rare reports of pericardial involvement, despite the pronounced cardiovascular complications including acute myocardial injury, myocarditis, arrhythmia, cardiogenic shock and venous thromboembolism. Herein, we reported a young man with cardiac tamponade as the presenting feature of COVID-19.  Case summary: An otherwise healthy 28-year-old man, was admitted with pleuritic chest pain and shortness of breath and was diagnosed with COVID-19 associated cardiac tamponade. Emergency pericardiocentesis yielded large amount of hemorrhagic pericardial effusion which resulted in symptom relief. He was successfully treated with pericardiocentesis followed by anti-viral and anti-inflammatory medications and remained asymptomatic in 1-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: We highlight this case to mention that "hemorrhagic" cardiac tamponade can be a life-threatening complication of COVID-19, which can be treated if diagnosed early. Therefore, clinicians should be fully aware of this cardiac complication to consider in deteriorating COVID-19 patients.

Rare complication after pericardial window: symptomatic diaphragmatic hernia containing bowel and liver.

A 37-year-old woman presented to her local district general hospital with a cough, pleuritic chest pain and intermittent cyanosis. Eight months prior, she underwent a successful pericardial window for recurrent, symptomatic pericardial effusions. On presentation she was hypoxic but haemodynamically stable. Her chest radiograph raised the suspicion of a diaphragmatic hernia, confirmed by CT imaging. This identified herniation through the diaphragm of the transverse colon and left lobe of the liver resulting in cardiac compression and right ventricular dysfunction. She continued to deteriorate and required emergency intubation to allow safe transfer to a tertiary upper gastrointestinal unit. She underwent a laparotomy and repair of the diaphragmatic hernia with an uneventful inpatient recovery. In the literature, diaphragmatic liver herniation is a recognised complication secondary to trauma or congenital defects, however, to our knowledge, there are currently no cases described following pericardial windowing.