Echocardiographic Findings in Patients with COVID-19 with and without Previous Cardiovascular Disease

Introduction

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) may result in severe respiratory distress and acute cardiac injury. Impaired cardiac function and/or prior cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with COVID-19 are associated with worse prognosis. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) has a central role in the management of patients, as it provides a crucial assessment of abnormalities in cardiac function and structure that impact on their prognosis and treatment. Studies have reported varied rates of left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) dysfunction, but it is unclear how often cardiac dysfunction result directly from COVID-19.^– We described the prevalence of the main abnormal echocardiographic findings in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 with and without previous cardiovascular disease (CVD) through a real-world, multicenter collaborative study (Brazilian Echocardiography Registry during COVID-19 pandemic, or ECOVID).

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