Signs and symptoms of acute pulmonary embolism and their predictive value for all-cause hospital death in respect of severity of the disease, age, sex and body mass index: retrospective analysis of the Regional PE Registry (REPER).

BACKGROUND: The incidence of the signs and symptoms of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) according to mortality risk, age and sex has been partly explored. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 1242 patients diagnosed with acute PE and included in the Regional Pulmonary Embolism Registry were enrolled in the study. Patients were classified as low risk, intermediate risk or high risk according to the European Society of Cardiology mortality risk model. The incidence of the signs and symptoms of acute PE at presentation with respect to sex, age, and PE severity was investigated. RESULTS: The incidence of haemoptysis was higher in younger men with intermediate-risk (11.7% vs 7.5% vs 5.9% vs 2.3%; p=0.01) and high-risk PE (13.8% vs 2.5% vs 0.0% vs 3.1%; p=0.031) than in older men and women. The frequency of symptomatic deep vein thrombosis was not significantly different between subgroups. Older women with low-risk PE presented with chest pain less commonly (35.8% vs 55.8% vs 48.8% vs 51.9%, respectively; p=0.023) than men and younger women. However, younger women had a higher incidence of chest pain in the lower-risk PE group than in the intermediate-risk and high-risk PE subgroups (51.9%, 31.4% and 27.8%, respectively; p=0.001). The incidence of dyspnoea (except in older men), syncope and tachycardia increased with the risk of PE in all subgroups (p<0.01). In the low-risk PE group, syncope was present more often in older men and women than in younger patients (15.5% vs 11.3% vs 4.5% vs 4.5%; p=0.009). The incidence of pneumonia was higher in younger men with low-risk PE (31.8% vs<16% in the other subgroups, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Haemoptysis and pneumonia are prominent features of acute PE in younger men, whereas older patients more frequently have syncope with low-risk PE. Dyspnoea, syncope and tachycardia are symptoms of high-risk PE irrespective of sex and age.

The Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak on Syncope Units Activities in Italy: A Report from the Italian Multidisciplinary Working Group on Syncope (GIMSI).

The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on Syncope Units (SUs) Activities in Italy. Methods: Data about types of SU activities and admissions were obtained from 10 SUs throughout Italy, certified by the Italian Multidisciplinary Working Group on Syncope (GIMSI), from 10 March 2020 to 31 December 2020 and compared with the same time frame in 2019. Results: A remarkable reduction in overall non-invasive diagnostic tests (-67%; p < 0.001) and cardiac invasive procedure. Elective cardiac pacing procedures disclosed a significant decrease (-62.7%; p < 0.001); conversely, the decrease of urgent procedures was not significant (-50%; p = 0.08). There was a significantly increased rate of patients who underwent both telemedicine follow-up visits (+225%, p < 0.001) and cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) remote monitoring follow-up visits (+100%; p < 0.001). Conclusion: The COVID-19 outbreak was associated with a remarkable decrease in all clinical activities of Syncope Units in Italy, including both non-invasive tests and cardiac invasive procedures; conversely, a significant increase in telehealth activities was shown.

Anxiety-Related Adverse Event Clusters After Janssen COVID-19 Vaccination - Five U.S. Mass Vaccination Sites, April 2021.

On April 7, 2021, after 5 weeks' use of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), CDC received reports of clusters of anxiety-related events after administration of Janssen COVID-19 vaccine from five mass vaccination sites, all in different states. To further investigate these cases, CDC interviewed vaccination site staff members to gather additional information about the reported events and vaccination site practices. Four of the five sites temporarily closed while an investigation took place. Overall, 64 anxiety-related events, including 17 reports of syncope (fainting), an anxiety-related event, among 8,624 Janssen COVID-19 vaccine recipients, were reported from these sites for vaccines administered during April 7-9. As a follow-up to these interviews, CDC analyzed reports of syncope shortly after receipt of Janssen COVID-19 vaccine to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), the vaccine safety monitoring program managed by CDC and FDA. To compare the occurrence of these events with those reported after receipt of other vaccines, reports of syncopal events after influenza vaccine administered in the 2019-20 influenza season were also reviewed. Syncope after Janssen COVID-19 vaccination was reported to VAERS (8.2 episodes per 100,000 doses). By comparison, after influenza vaccination, the reporting rate of syncope was 0.05 episodes per 100,000 doses. Anxiety-related events can occur after any vaccination. It is important that vaccination providers are aware that anxiety-related adverse events might be reported more frequently after receipt of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine than after influenza vaccination and observe all COVID-19 vaccine recipients for any adverse reactions for at least 15 minutes after vaccine administration.

[Cardiac biometric variables and arrhythmic events during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in patients with an implantable cardiac monitor for syncope work-up]. / Variables biométricas cardiacas y eventos arrítmicos durante el confinamiento por la pandemia de COVID-19 en pacientes portadores de un monitor cardiaco implantable para el diagnóstico de síncope.

AIM: To assess the changes induced by the COVID-19 lockdown on cardiac biometric variables recorded using an implantable cardiac monitor (ICM) in a patient population monitored for syncope work-up, as well to assess whether there has been an effect on arrhythmic events among the patients. METHODS: Longitudinal cohort study. We included 245 adult patients monitored with an ICM indicated for the investigation of syncope. The records from days 1 to 12 March 2020 (prior to the institution of lockdown by the state government) with days 16 to 28 March 2020 were compared. RESULTS: Daily physical exercise reduced markedly after the imposition of lockdown (132 [55-233] minutes vs. 78 [21-154] minutes). The mean daytime HR prior to lockdown was 77 [69-85] bpm, whereas during lockdown it was 74 [66-81] bpm. During the lockdown period, a drop in the variability in heart rate (114 [94-136] ms vs. 111 [92-133] ms) was observed. Although the incidence of AF was similar over both periods, the daily AF burden was significantly higher post-lockdown (405 [391-425] minutes vs. 423 [423-537] minutes). No differences in the number of other arrhythmias were found. CONCLUSIONS: The establishment of mandatory lockdown has led to a marked drop in daily physical activity in this population which probably explains changes observed in other cardiac biometric variables. Although, in the short term, we have not documented an increased risk of arrhythmia, we cannot rule out an effect in the medium to long term or in other populations of at-risk patients.

Syncope and presyncope in patients with COVID-19.

INTRODUCTION: Recent studies have described several cardiovascular manifestations of COVID-19 including myocardial ischemia, myocarditis, thromboembolism, and malignant arrhythmias. However, to our knowledge, syncope in COVID-19 patients has not been systematically evaluated. We sought to characterize syncope and/or presyncope in COVID-19. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of consecutive patients hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 with either syncope or presyncope. This "study" group (n = 37) was compared with an age and gender-matched cohort of patients without syncope ("control") (n = 40). Syncope was attributed to various categories. We compared telemetry data, treatments received, and clinical outcomes between the two groups. RESULTS: Among 1000 COVID-19 patients admitted to the Mount Sinai Hospital, the incidence of syncope/presyncope was 3.7%. The median age of the entire cohort was 69 years (range 26-89+ years) and 55% were men. Major comorbidities included hypertension, diabetes, and coronary artery disease. Syncopal episodes were categorized as (a) unspecified in 59.4% patients, (b) neurocardiogenic in 15.6% patients, (c) hypotensive in 12.5% patients, and (d) cardiopulmonary in 3.1% patients with fall versus syncope and seizure versus syncope in 2 of 32 (6.3%) and 1 of 33 (3.1%) patients, respectively. Compared with the "control" group, there were no significant differences in both admission and peak blood levels of d-dimer, troponin-I, and CRP in the "study" group. Additionally, there were no differences in arrhythmias or death between both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Syncope/presyncope in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 is uncommon and is infrequently associated with a cardiac etiology or associated with adverse outcomes compared to those who do not present with these symptoms.