Search

Background: COVID-19 affects the cardiovascular system and ECG abnormalities may be associated with worse prognosis. We evaluated the prognostic value of ECG abnormalities in individuals with COVID-19.Methods: Multicentre cohort study with adults hospitalised with COVID-19 from 40 hospitals across 23 countries. Patients were followed-up from admission until 30 days. ECG were obtained at each participating site and coded according to the Minnesota coding criteria. The primary outcome was defined as death from any cause. Secondary outcomes were admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Multiple logistic regression was used to evaluate the association of ECG abnormalities with the outcomes.Results: Among 5313 participants, 2451 had at least one ECG and were included in this analysis. The mean age (SD) was 58.0 (16.1) years, 60.7% were male and 61.1% from lower-income to middle-income countries. The prevalence of major ECG abnormalities was 21.3% (n=521), 447 (18.2%) patients died, 196 (8.0%) had MACE and 1115 (45.5%) were admitted to an ICU. After adjustment, the presence of any major ECG abnormality was associated with a higher risk of death (OR 1.39; 95% CI 1.09 to 1.78) and cardiovascular events (OR 1.81; 95% CI 1.30 to 2.51). Sinus tachycardia (>120 bpm) with an increased risk of death (OR 3.86; 95% CI 1.97 to 7.48), MACE (OR 2.68; 95% CI 1.10 to 5.85) and ICU admission OR 1.99; 95% CI 1.03 to 4.00). Atrial fibrillation, bundle branch block, ischaemic abnormalities and prolonged QT interval did not relate to the outcomes.Conclusion: Major ECG abnormalities and a heart rate >120 bpm were prognostic markers in adults hospitalised with COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are highly preventable non-communicable diseases. ECG is a potential tool for risk stratification with respect to CVD. Our aim was to evaluate ECG's role in all-cause and cardiovascular mortality prediction.Methods: Participants from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health, free of known CVD at baseline were included. A 12-lead ECG was obtained at baseline (2008-2010). Participants were followed up to 2018 by annual interviews. Deaths were independently reviewed. Cox as well as Fine and Grey multivariable regression models were applied to evaluate if the presence of any major electrocardiographic abnormality (MEA), defined according to the Minnesota Code system, would predict total and cardiovascular deaths. We also evaluated the Net Reclassification Index of adding MEA to the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE).Results: The 13 428 participants (median age 51 years, 45% men) were followed up for 8±1 years. All-cause and cardiovascular mortality occurred in 2.8% and 1.2% of the population, respectively. Prevalent MEA was an independent predictor of overall (HR=2.3, 95% CI 1.7 to 2.9) and cardiovascular mortality (HR=4.6, 95% CI 3.0 to 7.0) after adjustments for age, race, education and traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Adding MEA to the SCORE resulted in 9% mis-reclassification in the non-event subgroup and 33% correct reclassification in those with a fatal cardiovascular event.Conclusion: Presence of MEA was an independent predictor of overall and cardiovascular mortality. ECG may have a role in risk prediction of cardiovascular mortality in primary care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is an important factor on effort tolerance in cardiopulmonary diseases. Nevertheless, the role of RV function in predicting exercise capacity in patients with Chagas disease has not been reported. This study aims to evaluate whether RV function assessed by tissue Doppler can predict functional capacity in patients with Chagas heart disease., Methods and Results: We evaluated 65 patients (48.6 +/- 9.1 years, 60% men) with Chagas heart disease. Standard and tissue Doppler echocardiography were performed before maximal exercise testing. Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) was used to measure RV peak annular systolic and diastolic velocities. Exercise testing was performed using a standard Bruce protocol. Linear regression analysis was used to determine multivariate peak oxygen consumption (VO(2)) predictors. All patients were in NYHA functional class I or II. Mean peak VO(2) was 32.4 +/- 10.2 mL/kg/min and mean LV ejection fraction was 43 +/- 11%. There was correlation between TDI RV peak systolic velocity and LV ejection fraction (r = 0.5; P < 0.001). In a multivariate analysis, after adjustment for age and gender, RV function emerged as an independent predictor of functional capacity, as demonstrated in the model: peak VO(2) (r = 0.71) was: 42.22-(9.77 x female gender)-(0.29 x age) + (1.54 x RV systolic velocity)., Conclusion: In this cross-sectional study, RV function was an important, independent determinant of exercise capacity in patients with Chagas heart disease. TDI RV systolic annular velocity was most closely associated with peak VO(2), regardless of the influence of age, gender, and other echocardiographic parameters.

Infective endocarditis is a relatively rare disease in clinical practice, with significant morbidity and mortality despite the improvements on its diagnosis and treatment. It is often difficult to identify its complications and define strategies for them. Dissociation between the clinical evolution and the findings from complementary tests (especially echocardiographic tests) is common. Clinical decisions become even more difficult when there are atypical manifestations of the disease, such as right-side endocarditis. This report is about a rare case of right-side endocarditis in a patient with chronic renal disease, in which there was a contradiction between worsening of the echocardiographic findings and clinical improvement. This situation may lead to difficulties regarding the criteria for indicating surgery and the safety of conservative clinical treatment.