The value of indicators characterizing the state of the cardiovascular system in assessing the hospital prognosis of COVID-19 patients

Background     Heart damage is one of complications of the novel coronavirus infection. Searching for available predictors for in-hospital death and survival that determine the tactic of managing patients with COVID-19, is a challenge of the present time.

Aim      To determine the role echocardiographic (EchoCG) parameters in evaluation of the in-hospital prognosis for patients with the novel coronavirus infection, COVID-19.

Material and methods  The study included 158 patients admitted for COVID-19. EchoCG was performed for all patients. The role of left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) was analyzed in various age groups. EchoCG data were compared with the clinical picture, including the severity of respiratory failure (RF), blood oxygen saturation (SрО2), data of computed tomography (CT) of the lungs, and blood concentration of troponin. Comorbidity was analyzed, and the highest significance of individual pathologies was determined.

Results LV EF ≤40 % determined the worst prognosis of patients with COVID-19 (p<0.0001), including the age group older than 70 years (р=0.013). LV EF did not correlate with the degree of lung tissue damage determined by CT upon admission (р=0.54) and over time (р=0.23). The indexes that determined an adverse in-hospital prognosis to a considerable degree were pericardial effusion (p<0.0001) and pulmonary hypertension (p<0.0001). RV end-diastolic dimension and LV end-diastolic volume did not determine the in-hospital mortality and survival. Blood serum concentration of troponin I higher than 165.13 µg/l was an important predictor for in-hospital death with a high degree of significance (р<0.0001). Th degree of RF considerably influenced the in-hospital mortality (р<0.0001). RF severity was associated with LV EF (р=0.024). The SpO2 value determined an adverse immediate prognosis with a high degree of significance (р=0.0009). This parameter weakly correlated with LV EF (r=0.26; p=0.0009). Patients who required artificial ventilation (AV) constituted a group with the worst survival rate (р<0.0001). LV EF was associated with a need for AV with a high degree of significance (р=0.0006). Comorbidities, such as chronic kidney disease, postinfarction cardiosclerosis and oncologic diseases, to the greatest extent determined the risk of fatal outcome.

Conclusion      EchoCG can be recommended for patients with COVID-19 at the hospital stage to determine the tactics of management and for the in-hospital prognosis.

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