Usefulness of echocardiography to detect cardiac involvement in COVID-19 patients

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, presents a significant global health challenge.
• Beyond pulmonary manifestations, COVID-19 can impact multiple organs, including the heart.
• A notable percentage of COVID-19 patients experience cardiac symptoms and myocardial injury.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the applications of transthoracic echocardiography in managing COVID-19 patients with myocardial damage.
• To highlight echocardiography's role in distinguishing primary cardiac disease from COVID-19-related myocardial injury.
• To assess echocardiography's utility in monitoring cardiovascular complications associated with COVID-19.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on echocardiography in COVID-19 patients.
• Emphasis on safety protocols and personal protective equipment during echocardiographic examinations.
• Discussion of echocardiography's role in diagnosing and managing specific cardiac complications.

Main Results:

• Echocardiography aids in differentiating primary cardiac conditions from SARS-CoV-2-induced myocardial damage.
• The technique is valuable for assessing acute myocarditis, arrhythmias, and heart failure in COVID-19.
• Echocardiography can evaluate sepsis-induced myocardial impairment and right ventricular failure related to mechanical ventilation.

Conclusions:

• Transthoracic echocardiography is a crucial tool for the diagnostic and therapeutic management of cardiac complications in COVID-19.
• Its application supports personalized patient care by guiding treatment strategies for cardiovascular involvement.
• Ensuring safety protocols allows for the effective use of echocardiography in this patient population.