Utility of Non-invasive Cardiac Imaging Assessment in Coronavirus Disease 2019

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) initially presented as a respiratory illness but cardiac complications are now recognized.
• Elevated high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) indicates acute myocardial injury in COVID-19 patients, correlating with poor prognosis.
• Approximately 20-25% of patients with acute myocardial injury exhibit heart failure symptoms and increased mortality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the role of non-invasive cardiac imaging in evaluating cardiac involvement in COVID-19.
• To differentiate between direct and indirect cardiac effects of COVID-19 using imaging modalities.
• To explore the diagnostic and prognostic utility of cardiac imaging beyond serological biomarkers.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on non-invasive cardiac imaging techniques in COVID-19.
• Focus on established roles of echocardiography, cardiac MRI, and CT in cardiac assessment.
• Analysis of how imaging complements biomarker data for comprehensive cardiac evaluation.

Main Results:

• Non-invasive cardiac imaging provides crucial insights into cardiac structure and function in COVID-19.
• Imaging can distinguish between various causes of cardiac dysfunction related to the virus.
• Cardiac imaging offers prognostic information that supplements elevated hs-cTn levels.

Conclusions:

• Non-invasive cardiac imaging is essential for a thorough assessment of cardiac involvement in COVID-19.
• Imaging modalities enhance diagnostic accuracy and prognostic stratification in affected patients.
• Integrating imaging findings with biomarker data offers a more complete understanding of COVID-19's cardiac impact.