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. 2020 Sep 16:2020:4348598.
doi: 10.1155/2020/4348598. eCollection 2020.

Echocardiography in Confirmed and Highly Suspected Symptomatic COVID-19 Patients and Its Impact on Treatment Change

Nadia Benyounes  1 , Clélie Van Der Vynckt  1 , Séverine Tibi  2 , Alexandra Iglesias  3 , Laurence Salomon  4 , Olivier Gout  5 , Thierry Tibi  1
Affiliations

Echocardiography in Confirmed and Highly Suspected Symptomatic COVID-19 Patients and Its Impact on Treatment Change

Nadia Benyounes et al. Cardiol Res Pract. .

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 interacts at multiple levels with the cardiovascular system. The prognosis of COVID-19 infection is known to be worse for patients with underlying cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, the virus is responsible for many cardiovascular complications. Myocardial injury may affect up to 20% of the critically ill patients. However, echocardiography's impact on the management of patients affected by COVID-19 remains unknown.

Objectives: To explore echocardiography's impact on the management of COVID-19 patients.

Methods: This study was conducted from March 24th to April 14th, 2020, in a single center at Adolphe de Rothschild Foundation Hospital, Paris, France. All consecutive inpatients with laboratory and/or CT COVID-19 diagnosis were included in this study. Patients' characteristics (clinical, biological, and imaging) and treatment change induced by echocardiography were collected and analyzed. Patients with and without treatment change induced by echocardiography were compared.

Results: A total of 56 echocardiographies in 42 patients with highly suspected or confirmed COVID-19 were included in the final analyses. The median age was 66 (IQR 60.5-74). Echocardiography induced a treatment change in 9 cases (16%). The analyzed clinical data were not associated with any treatment change induced by echocardiography. D-dimer and Troponin levels were the only biological predictors of the induced treatment change. On echocardiography, higher systolic pulmonary arterial pressure and documented cardiac thrombi were associated with treatment changes in these patients.

Conclusions: Echocardiography may be useful for the management of selected COVID-19 patients, especially those with elevated D-Dimer and Troponin levels, in up to 16% of patients.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors do not report any relevant conflicts of interest in relation to this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
TTE, subcostal view, showing a right atrial thrombus in a COVID-19 suspected patient (deceased after discharge). The thrombus was prolapsing in the right ventricle in diastole.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Voluminous and heterogeneous right atrial thrombus seen on TTE (a) and TEE (b). The patient had thrombolysis for severe pulmonary embolism.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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