Signs of Lingering Cardiac Dysfunction After Severe COVID - MedPage Today

Patients recovering from COVID-19 showed cardiac dysfunction on transthoracic echocardiography 3 to 4 months after hospital discharge, according to a Norwegian study.

Compared with matched controls, 204 COVID patients had worse right ventricular longitudinal strain (RVLS; adjusted estimated mean difference 1.5 percentage points, 95% CI 0.5-2.6), lower tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (-0.10 cm, 95% CI -0.14 to -0.05), and reduced cardiac index (-0.26 L/min per m2; 95% CI -0.40 to -0.12), reported Charlotte Ingul, MD, PhD, of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, and colleagues.

A previous case-control study did not find that cardiac structure and function were impaired in patients 6 months after mild COVID-19 illness.

The study was supported by the National Association for Heart, Lung Diseases; the Norwegian Health Association; and Akershus University Hospital.

Source Reference: Ingul CB, et al "Cardiac dysfunction and arrhythmias 3 months after hospitalization for COVID-19" J Am Heart Assoc 2022; DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.121.023473