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. 2022 May 13:9:871603.
doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.871603. eCollection 2022.

Cardiac Performance and Cardiopulmonary Fitness After Infection With SARS-CoV-2

Gregory Wood  1   2 , Therese Stegeager Kirkevang  1   2 , Jane Agergaard  3   2 , Steffen Leth  3   2   4 , Esben Søvsø Szocska Hansen  5 , Christoffer Laustsen  5 , Anders Hostrup Larsen  1   2 , Henrik Kjærulf Jensen  1   2 , Lars Jørgen Østergaard  3   2 , Hans Erik Bøtker  1   2 , Steen Hvitfeldt Poulsen  1   2 , Won Yong Kim  1   2
Affiliations

Cardiac Performance and Cardiopulmonary Fitness After Infection With SARS-CoV-2

Gregory Wood et al. Front Cardiovasc Med. .

Abstract

Aims: Persistent cardiac symptoms are an increasingly reported phenomenon following COVID-19. However, the underlying cause of cardiac symptoms is unknown. This study aimed to identify the underlying causes, if any, of these symptoms 1 year following acute COVID-19 infection.

Methods and results: 22 individuals with persistent cardiac symptoms were prospectively investigated using echocardiography, cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), 6-min walking test, cardio-pulmonary exercise testing and electrocardiography. A median of 382 days (IQR 368, 442) passed between diagnosis of COVID-19 and investigation. As a cohort their echocardiography, CMR, 6-min walking test and exercise testing results were within the normal ranges. There were no differences in left ventricular ejection fraction (61.45 ± 6.59 %), global longitudinal strain (19.80 ± 3.12 %) or tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (24.96 ± 5.55 mm) as measured by echocardiography compared to a healthy control group. VO2 max (2045.00 ± 658.40 ml/min), % expected VO2 max (114.80 ± 23.08 %) and 6-minute distance walked (608.90 ± 54.51 m) exceeded that expected for the patient cohort, whilst Troponin I (5.59 ± 6.59 ng/l) and Nt-proBNP (88.18 ± 54.27 ng/l) were normal.

Conclusion: Among a cohort of 22 patients with self-reported persistent cardiac symptoms, we identified no underlying cardiac disease or reduced cardiopulmonary fitness 1 year following COVID-19.

Keywords: CMR; COVID-19; echocardiography; long-COVID syndrome; recovery following COVID-19.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Reported symptoms of patients during the acute illness and on review in the cardiology clinic.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Cardio-pulmonary exercise test results as % expected for the patients' age, sex and ethnicity. HR, heart rate; VE, minute ventilation; BF, breathing frequency.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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