Recovery of a critically ill patient with COVID-19 myocarditis.

Myocarditis is a concerning potential consequence of COVID-19 infection, attributed to ventricular dysfunction, cardiac fibrosis, ventricular arrhythmias, cardiogenic shock, and sudden cardiac death. Recently, the Israeli Health Ministry announced that a small number of cases of myocarditis may be linked to second dose of Pfizer's BioNTech-partnered COVID-19 vaccine. The long-term impact of COVID-19 myocarditis and coronary microthrombosis which has also been described and the best therapies for these complications remain unknown. Indeed, monomorphic ventricular tachycardia and regular ventricular arrhythmias have previously been found to be more common in those recovered from myocarditis than in acute myocarditis itself. Follow-up assessment of cardiac function has been suggested for this cohort to detect and possibly prevent further cardiac events in the rehabilitation phase. Functional capacity has been shown to be a better determinant of long-term morbidity than diagnostic testing alone, but integrated approach is likely the way forward in clinical follow-up. Assessment of residual complications in the post-COVID-19 recovery phase may identify the population burden of long-term cardiac disease as a direct consequence of COVID-19.

Use of emergency department point-of-care ultrasound in a case of cholecystitis.

A 54-year-old man presented with severe right upper quadrant (RUQ) abdominal pain. He denied any infective symptoms. On clinical examination, he was afebrile and anicteric. His abdomen was soft with tenderness elicited on the RUQ. A point-of-care ultrasound in the emergency department demonstrated a distended gallbladder with a thickened wall and an impacted large gallstone at the neck of the gallbladder. Furthermore, the point-of-care ultrasound also identified a highly reflective echo from the anterior surface of the gallstone and marked posterior acoustic shadowing. A diagnosis of cholecysitis was made after confirmatory ultrasonography performed in the radiology department. The patient had a cholecystostomy performed under interventional radiology and was managed with course of intravenous antibiotics for 7 days. He was discharged from hospital with an elective cholecystectomy planned to be performed 8 weeks posthospital discharge.