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Background: The new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a pandemic infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), had a deep global influence on morbidity and mortality profiles. Comorbidities, especially cardiovascular diseases, were identified to strongly modify the clinical course of COVID-19. However, the prognostic role of incident or prevalent atrial fibrillation has not been fully explained. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between atrial fibrillation and outcomes following hospitalization in patients with severe COVID-19. Methods: We analyzed 199 patients (72 female, median age 70 years) with severe COVID-19 hospitalized between November 2020 and February 2021, due to SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study cohort included 68 patients with a history of AF (34 patients with paroxysmal AF, 19 with permanent AF, 15 patients with persistent AF), and 51 patients presented with AF during hospitalization. Results: Overall mortality during 90 days from the admission to hospital was 41% (n = 82). Non-survivors were older, had significantly elevated inflammation markers (CRP, WBC, procalcitonin, IL-6), NT-proBNP and D-dimer on the first day of hospitalization, lower left ventricular ejection fraction and worse kidney function, as compared to those who stayed alive during the follow-up. Among the hospitalized patients with COVID-19, a history of AF and the presence of AF during hospitalization contributed to higher mortality. Patients with permanent and persistent AF were at the highest risk of death. Different presentations of AF (any history of AF, the subtypes of AF—paroxysmal, permanent, persistent—and the presence of AF during hospitalization) were included in multivariate analysis, aiming to identify independent risk factors of death in the study period. We found that AF was related to worse prognosis, and persistent or permanent forms represented an independent predictor of mortality. Conclusions: Different clinical presentations of AF have varying impacts on survival in severe COVID-19. Mortality in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19 was higher among patients with a history of AF, especially with persistent and permanent types of AF, and with AF present during hospitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical evidence indicates that COVID‐19 is a multiorgan disease that significantly impacts the cardiovascular system. However, little is known about the predictors of myocardial dysfunction after SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Therefore, this research aimed to evaluate the clinical and electrocardiographic correlates of myocardial dysfunction after SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in nonhospitalised patients without previously diagnosed cardiovascular disease. This observational study included 448 patients selected from the database of 4142 patients in the Polish Long‐Covid Cardiovascular study. All patients underwent a 12‐lead electrocardiogram (ECG); 24‐h Holter ECG monitoring, 24/7 ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, echocardiography, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. According to the results of diagnostic tests, patients were divided into two groups depending on the occurrence of myocardial dysfunction after COVID‐19. Group 1–without myocardial dysfunction after COVID‐19–consisted of 419 patients, with a mean age of 48.82 (SD ± 11.91), and Group 2 (29 patients)–with myocardial dysfunction after COVID‐19, with a mean age of 51.45 (SD ± 12.92). When comparing the analysed groups, there were significantly more men in Group 2 (p = 0.006). QRS (corresponds to the time of ventricular contraction in an electrocardiographic examination) fragmentation (p = 0.031), arrhythmias (atrial fibrillation, supraventricular extrasystole, ventricular extrasystole) (p = 0.008), and male gender (p = 0.007) were independently associated with myocardial dysfunction after COVID‐19. The study showed that myocardial damage after COVID‐19 affects men more often and is independent of typical clinical factors and the severity of the disease course. The QRS fragmentation and arrhythmias observed in the ECG indicate the possibility of myocardial dysfunction in patients after COVID‐19, which may be a valuable marker for physicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertension during pregnancy is a significant problem, with severe hypertension being an especially dangerous condition. As pharmacological treatment options are limited mostly due to the unknown effects of multiple drugs on the fetus, labetalol is one of the more frequently used therapies. The other popular substances are methyldopa, nifedipine and hydralazine. In this paper, the effectiveness and limitations of labetalol in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are discussed based on the latest available original papers. As the accessible data implicates, labetalol has a high and proven ability to reduce blood pressure with non-severe side effects. The most common of which are headaches and nausea. The drug seems to be slightly less effective in blood pressure normalization than nifedipine, with inconclusive data about safety to the mother and her baby. However due to a small number of patients included in the presented studies, more high-population trials are necessary to give an unambiguous recommendation on its regular usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BM trephine biopsy showed SLL infiltration (72%). BM aspiration and trephine biopsy confirmed diagnosis of SLL/CLL (Figure 2(G-I)). Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) is a B-cell malignancy characterized by monoclonal production of small, mature-appearing lymphocytes in the blood, the marrow and lymphoid tissue [[1]]. However, histopathological analysis of the heart biopsy and BM trephine biopsy indicated a diagnosis of SLL (Figure 2). [Extracted from the article]

The advantages of ultrasonography do not need to be discussed. It is suitable for use in diverse clinical settings and environments by operators with different backgrounds. Recent technological advances have led not only to the enhancement of the diagnostic capabilities of stationary ultrasound systems but also to miniaturization, which in turn led to the introduction of smartphone-sized handheld ultrasound devices (HUDs), designed to be used at bedside to improve and extend the scope of physical examination. Although diagnostic capabilities of HUDs are expanding, according to guidelines, they cannot be perceived as a tool suitable for performing full echocardiographic examination. However, their ultraportability made them essential for the bedside assessment, with the particular emphasis on the bedside focus cardiac ultrasound (FoCUS)-goal-oriented, limited echocardiographic screening. Clinically relevant cardiological targets suggested for HUDs include the assessment of left ventricular (LV) systolic function and size, assessment of other cardiac chambers, identification of gross valvular abnormalities, and detection of the pathological masses within the heart cavities. Handheld ultrasound devices may be also helpful in identifying pleural effusion or subpleural consolidations; furthermore, brief ultrasonographic assessment of "lung comets" enables the estimation of the level of congestion. Ultrasound screening for certain vascular abnormalities also appears promising. The limitations of HUDs are rather obvious and caution is needed to distinguish the role of HUD-based bedside-limited scan from comprehensive stationary echocardiography. It appears that the right approach is to treat them as complementary tools proving their capabilities in diverse clinical scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant shortage of medical personnel and the prioritization of life-saving procedures on internal medicine and cardiology wards. Thus, the cost- and time-effectiveness of each procedure proved vital. Implementing elements of imaging diagnostics into the physical examination of COVID-19 patients could prove beneficial to the treatment process, providing important clinical data at the moment of admission. Sixty-three patients with positive COVID-19 test results were enrolled into our study and underwent physical examination expanded with a handheld ultrasound device (HUD)—performed bedside assessment included: right ventricle measurement, visual and automated LVEF assessment, four-point compression ultrasound test (CUS) of lower extremities and lung ultrasound. Routine testing consisting of computed-tomography chest scanning, CT—pulmonary angiogram and full echocardiography performed on a high-end stationary device was completed in the following 24 h. Lung abnormalities characteristic for COVID-19 were detected in CT in 53 (84%) patients. The sensitivity and specificity of bedside HUD examination for detecting lung pathologies was 0.92 and 0.90, respectively. Increased number of B-lines had a sensitivity of 0.81, specificity 0.83 for the ground glass symptom in CT examination (AUC 0.82; p < 0.0001); pleural thickening sensitivity 0.95, specificity 0.88 (AUC 0.91, p < 0.0001); lung consolidations sensitivity 0.71, specificity 0.86 (AUC 0.79, p < 0.0001). In 20 patients (32%), pulmonary embolism was confirmed. RV was dilated in HUD examination in 27 patients (43%), CUS was positive in two patients. During HUD examination, software-derived LV function analysis failed to measure LVEF in 29 (46%) cases. HUD proved its potential as the first-line modality for the collection of heart–lung–vein imaging information among patients with severe COVID-19. HUD-derived diagnosis was especially effective for the initial assessment of lung involvement. Expectedly, in this group of patients with high prevalence of severe pneumonia, HUD-diagnosed RV enlargement had moderate predictive value and the option to simultaneously detect lower limb venous thrombosis was clinically attractive. Although most of the LV images were suitable for the visual assessment of LVEF, an AI-enhanced software algorithm failed in almost 50% of the study population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Folia Cardiologica is the property of VM Medica-VM Group (Via Medica) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Cardiac involvement of chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) is recognized extremely rarely. In addition, most CLL/SLL patients with heart infiltration are asymptomatic. In this review, we present the results of a literature search for English language articles concerning CLL/SLL or Richter transformation with symptomatic cardiac involvement. In total, 18 well-described cases with CLL/SLL and heart infiltration were identified. Only three patients were not diagnosed with CLL/SLL before the cardiac manifestation. In other patients, cardiac CLL/SLL was diagnosed between 5 months and 20 years from CLL/SLL diagnosis. All patients in these series had a diagnosis of secondary cardiac CLL/SLL. In addition, we identified four reported cases with Richter transformation in the heart. The treatment of patients with CLL/SLL and cardiac infiltration is variable and depends on the previous history and clinical characteristics of heart infiltration. In addition, no recommendations exist on how to treat patients with CLL/SLL and cardiac involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the case of including sacubitril/valsartan in an octogenarian patient with congestive heart failure as a part of the outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program. The case shows that apart from hospital use, it is worth considering including this drug during an outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program, because in such conditions the patient is in frequent contact with the treatment center, so his health status may be assessed almost every day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Folia Cardiologica is the property of VM Medica-VM Group (Via Medica) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: Recently introduced microUSB ultrasound probe, which can be connected to personal mobile device constitutes a new class of diagnostic pocket size imaging devices (PSID).The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and clinical utility of real-time tele-echocardiography with the use such device.Material and methods: The study group comprised 30 patients (18 men and 12 women; mean age: 54 ±14 years; mean body mass index: 27 ±6 kg/m2), admitted to various hospital departments (infectious diseases, internal medicine and cardiology). All patients underwent focused echocardiographic examination performed by an inexperienced operator using PSID and collaborating remotely in real-time with cardiologist by means of tele-consultation. Before commencing the examination, the operators underwent 1 h training in use of the PSID.Results: In most of patients PSID imaging provided sufficient diagnostic image quality. The dimensions of left ventricle, left atrium and the aorta obtained during the this examination showed good correlation with standard echocardiography (r = 0.89, r = 0.82, r = 0.92 respectively), but the correlation for TAPSE measurements was less pronounced (r = 0.52). The agreement in detection of pathologies (wall motion abnormalities, morphological and functional valvular abnormalities) between the tele-echocardiography and standard echocardiographic examination was good to very good (κ ranged from 0.648 to 0.823).Conclusions: Pocket size imaging devices allows an inexperienced operator to perform a focused echocardiographic examination under a remote supervision of an experienced cardiologist. The introduction of new technology in the form of PSID with tele-echocardiography feature can revolutionize access to this imaging technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]