Dynamics of global and segmental strain as a marker of right ventricular contractility recovery in patients after COVID-19 pneumonia.

ABSTRACT

Aim. To study the changes of morphological and functional right ventricular (RV) parameters depending on the severity of coronavirus infection 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia over long-term follow-up. Material and methods. A total of 200 patients (men, 51,5%, mean age, 51,4+/-10,9 years) were examined at 2 control visits (3, 12 months after receiving two negative polymerase chain reaction tests). Patients were divided into following groups group I (n=94) - lung tissue involvement >=50% according to inhospital chest computed tomography (chest CT), group II (n=106) - lung tissue involvement <50% according to chest CT. Results. The groups were comparable in key clinical and functional parameters 3 months after COVID-19 pneumonia. Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) revealed a significant increase in following global longitudinal strain (LS) parameters RV free wall endocardial LS (-22,7+/-3,2% and-24,3+/-3,8% in group I, p<0,001;-23,2+/-3,5% and-24,5+/-3,4% in group II, p<0,001), and RV endocardial LS (-21,0+/-3,1% and-22,5+/-3,7% in group I, p<0,001,-21,5+/-3,2% and-22,6+/-3,3% in group II, p=0,001). Significant increase of segmental endocardial LS was revealed in group I in the basal segments of RV free wall (-26,2+/-5,1% and-28,1+/-5,1%, p=0,004) and interventricular septum (IVS) (-16,2 [13,9;19,5]% and-17,5 [14,6;21,4]%, p=0,024), IVS middle segment (-20,3+/-4,1% and-21,5+/-4,8%, p=0,030), as well as in group II in the apical segments of RV free wall (-21,9+/-6,7% and-24,4+/-5,2%, p=0,001) and IVS (-23,7+/-4,7% and-24,9+/-4,8%, p=0,014). Conclusion. Recovery of RV function during a 12-month follow-up period in patients with both severe and moderate/mild lung involvement in COVID-19 was detected using the STE method.Copyright © 2023, Silicea-Poligraf. All rights reserved.