Atrial Fibrillation as a Predictor of Mortality in High Risk COVID-19 Patients: A Multicentre Study of 171 Patients.

PURPOSE: Certain patient demographics and biomarkers have been suggested to predict survival in patients infected with COVID-19. However, predictors of outcome in patients who are critically ill are unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a multicentre analysis of 171 consecutive patients with confirmed COVID-19 who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) between 1 March 2020 and 30 April 2020 and were followed until 23 May 2020. Demographic data, past medical history, laboratory values, echocardiographic and telemetry data were analysed. Patient status was classified as either alive or deceased at hospital discharge or the end of follow-up period. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 66±13 and 57% were male. Mortality rate of this ICU cohort at the end of follow-up was 46.2%. A multivariable logistic regression analysis identified the presence or history of atrial fibrillation (Odds Ratio 4.8, p=0.004) as a significant cardiovascular attribute that contributed to increased mortality. CONCLUSION: Mortality of critically ill COVID-19 patients is high. This study suggests a relationship between atrial fibrillation and increased mortality from COVID-19. Early aggressive treatment patients with high risk characteristics, such as atrial fibrillation could improve clinical outcome.

Accuracy of arrhythmia detection in implantable cardiac monitors: A prospective randomized clinical trial comparing Reveal LINQ and Confirm Rx.

BACKGROUND: Implantable cardiac monitors (ICMs) are increasingly used to detect arrhythmias in various clinical situations. However, the data transmission time and accuracy of detecting cardiac arrhythmias are unclear. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare the efficiency of data transmission and arrhythmia detection accuracy of the Reveal LINQ with TruRhythm Detection with the Confirm Rx with SharpSense Technology. METHODS: In this prospective study, 142 patients were randomized 1:1 to receive Reveal LINQ or Confirm Rx ICM system. Arrhythmic events include atrial fibrillation (AF), pauses, and bradycardia. Data transmission time is defined as the time from event occurrence to physician notification. All the arrhythmic events are adjudicated for accuracy. RESULTS: A total of 3510 events were transmitted in 61 patients over 7.1 ± 3.5 months. The transmission time both for all events (448 ± 271 vs 610 ± 515 minutes, P = .02) and for patient activated triggers (24 ± 103 vs 475 ± 426 minutes, P < .0001) was significantly shorter in the Confirm Rx group. The total number of events was also higher in the Confirm Rx group (25.5 ± 45.6 vs 0.9 ± 1.1 events per patient-month, P < .01), which is likely due to event transmission setting differences between the two groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the Confirm Rx group detected true arrhythmic episodes sooner with higher percentage of diagnosed patients during 6-month follow-up (P = .006). Patient-averaged true positive detection rates were not statistically significant in the two groups (Reveal LINQ vs Confirm Rx, AF: 52% vs 38%; bradycardia: 67% vs 59%; pause: 24% vs 20%; tachycardia: 81% vs 94%). CONCLUSION: Compared to the Reveal LINQ, Confirm Rx has shorter event transmission time, more frequent event detections, shorter duration to diagnose true arrhythmic events, and higher percentage of diagnosed patients. The accuracy of arrhythmia detection in both ICMs remains suboptimal.

Concomitant acute interstitial nephritis and autoimmune hemolytic anemia induced by omeprazole.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPI)-induced acute interstitial nephritis and autoimmune hemolytic anemia can occur concomitantly, which should prompt discontinuation of PPI. PPI should wisely be prescribed and discontinued when no longer needed.

Mechanical Circulatory Support in Management of Cardiogenic Shock and Myxedema Coma.

The cardiovascular system is a major target of thyroid hormone action and the two systems are closely interlinked. It can be greatly impacted even with subtle alterations in thyroid function. Caution is needed when implementing thyroid hormone replacement in patients with severe hypothyroidism, especially in the setting of ischemic coronary artery disease. If not properly treated, myxedema may ensue. Given the high mortality of myxedema coma, supportive care may not always suffice and patients may require more invasive interventions. We present a challenging case of a patient with overt hypothyroidism with concurrent acute coronary syndrome which subsequently lead to myxedema coma and cardiogenic shock. A transcaval approach for the delivery of an Impella 5.0 (Abiomed Inc., Danvers, MA) was utilized in supporting this patient. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case that describes the use of a mechanical circulatory support in treating myxedema-induced cardiovascular collapse.

Primary Cardiac Lymphoma: Lessons Learned from a Long Survivor.

Primary cardiac lymphoma (PCL) is a rare neoplasm that involves the heart, pericardium, or both. Patients with PCL have median survival of approximately 7 months. We report a 63-year-old woman with PCL treated with chemoimmunotherapy but relapsed 7 years later. She received automated implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (AICD) prophylactically shortly after the diagnosis. She presented with a breast recidive 7 years after initial diagnosis and died of relapsed small cell lung cancer. As many patients with PCL die early in the disease course due to life-threatening arrhythmias, preemptive implantation of AICD may improve mortality and prevent early death. Chemoimmunotherapy is effective in inducing remission in patients with PCL. Late and unusual pattern of relapse may be more frequent in patients with PCL and should be explored further. This case presents one of the longest surviving patients with PCL reported in the literature.