COVID-19 Myocarditis: Prognostic Role of Bedside Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography and Association with Total Scar Burden

SARS-CoV2 infection, responsible for the COVID-19 disease, can determine cardiac as well as respiratory injury. In COVID patients, viral myocarditis can represent an important cause of myocardial damage. Clinical presentation of myocarditis is heterogeneous. Furthermore, the full diagnostic algorithm can be hindered by logistical difficulties related to the transportation of COVID-19 patients in a critical condition to the radiology department. Our aim was to study longitudinal systolic cardiac function in patients with COVID-19-related myocarditis with echocardiography and to compare these findings with cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) results. Patients with confirmed acute myocarditis and age- and gender-matched healthy controls were enrolled. Both patients with COVID-19-related myocarditis and healthy controls underwent standard transthoracic echocardiography and speckle-tracking analysis at the moment of admission and after 6 months of follow-up. The data of 55 patients with myocarditis (mean age 46.4 ± 15.3, 70% males) and 55 healthy subjects were analyzed. The myocarditis group showed a significantly reduced global longitudinal strain (GLS) and sub-epicardial strain, compared to the control (p < 0.001). We found a positive correlation (r = 0.65, p < 0.0001) between total scar burden (TSB) on CMR and LV GLS. After 6 months of follow-up, GLS showed marked improvements in myocarditis patients on optimal medical therapy (p < 0.01). Furthermore, we showed a strong association between baseline GLS, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and TSB with LVEF at 6 months of follow-up. After a multivariable linear regression analysis, baseline GLS, LVEF and TSB were independent predictors of a functional outcome at follow-up (p < 0.0001). Cardiac function and myocardial longitudinal deformation, assessed by echocardiography, are associated with TSB at CMR and have a predictive value of functional recovery in the follow-up.

Multimodality imaging in COVID-19 patients: A key role from diagnosis to prognosis

The integrated clinical, laboratory and ultrasound approach is essential for the diagnosis, evaluation and monitoring of the patient's therapy in coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia. The ideal imaging approach in this context is not yet well defined. Chest X-ray is characterized by low sensitivity in identifying earlier lung changes. The "bedside" pulmonary ultrasound has an undeniable series of advantages in the patient at high infectious risk and can provide incremental data in the respiratory intensive care for the serial control of the individual patient as well as for the home delivery of the stabilized subjects. Pulmonary computed tomography shows high sensitivity but should not be routinely performed in all patients, because in the first 48 h it can be absolutely negative and in the late phase the imaging findings may not change the therapeutic approach. Echocardiography should be limited to patients with hemodynamic instability to assess ventricular function and pulmonary pressures.

The role of echocardiography in SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: a compromise among appropriateness, safety and clinical impact

SARS-CoV-2 infection, responsible for COVID-19, can determine cardiac events, which require a quick diagnosis and management, and should not be overlooked due to the presence of COVID-19 infection. In some cases, cardiovascular symptoms can also be the first and only manifestation of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In patients with COVID-19, the full cardiovascular disease diagnostic algorithm can be hindered by logistic restrain mainly derived from the difficulty of transporting patients in critical conditions to Radiology or Hemodynamics wards. The echocardiography in SARS-CoV-2 pandemic can help for differential diagnosis of cardiac events, which can be related or unrelated by the infection and can likely impact on short-term prognosis. Indeed, transthoracic echocardiography plays a key role in the screen for CV complications of COVID-19 infection: it must be focused cardiac ultrasound study (FoCUS) performed at bedside. All transthoracic, transesophageal and stress echocardiograms in patients in which test results are unlikely to change the management strategy should be postponed.