COVID-19 STEMI 2020: It's Not What You Know, It's How You Think

SARS-CoV-2: Current Tools to Fight COVID-19 ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction

The capacity of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to wreak havoc on the inflammatory and coagulation pathways via the cytokine storm has led to over 6.3 million fatalities globally. Based on recent data, the mechanism predominately involves the formation of microvascular thrombosis when pertaining to cardiovascular disease. However, a subset of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19)-positive patients present emergently with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) are found to have severe epicardial thrombosis which is refractory to traditional coronary revascularization. We have noted mortality in these patients presenting to our facility to be as high as 90% and all angiographically confirmed to have thrombus which was refractory to traditional therapy. We present a case series of COVID-19-positive patients presenting with STEMI found to have epicardial thrombus who were treated with different traditional STEMI therapies but with fatal outcomes. Other possible techniques including mechanical thrombectomy, optimizing traditional and nontraditional anticoagulation therapy with the use of early hemodynamic support may prove more efficacious to destroy thrombus and potentially improve mortality.

Apparently normal epicardial coronaries in a patient with inferior wall myocardial infarction on the background of mild coronavirus disease-2019: take a second look!

The coronary angiographic (CAG) findings of ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in patients of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) range from increased coronary artery thrombus burden to normal coronaries due to STEMI mimics. Here we report the case of a 45-year-old gentleman who presented with evolved inferior wall myocardial infarction with ongoing angina along with mild COVID-19. CAG showed normal epicardial coronaries except for distal right posterior descending coronary artery (RPDA) 100% occlusion on careful examination. He was treated for the myocardial infarction with medical management along with treatment of COVID-19. The importance of our case is to highlight the possibility of distal total occlusion of small coronary branches which may be missed if not carefully looked for as a normal CAG in COVID-19 patient will require only supportive therapy, while the finding of distal 100% occlusion of RPDA deemed us to prescribe optimal medical therapy as per acute myocardial infarction protocol along with treatment for COVID-19.

Role of a Pediatric Cardiologist in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected patients across all age groups, with a wide range of illness severity from asymptomatic carriers to severe multi-organ dysfunction and death. Although early reports have shown that younger age groups experience less severe disease than older adults, our understanding of this phenomenon is in continuous evolution. Recently, a severe multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), with active or recent COVID-19 infection, has been increasingly reported. Children with MIS-C may demonstrate signs and symptoms of Kawasaki disease, but also have some distinct differences. These children have more frequent and severe gastrointestinal symptoms and are more likely to present with a shock-like presentation. Moreover, they often present with cardiovascular involvement including myocardial dysfunction, valvulitis, and coronary artery dilation or aneurysms. Here, we present a review of the literature and summary of our current understanding of cardiovascular involvement in children with COVID-19 or MIS-C and identifying the role of a pediatric cardiologist in caring for these patients.