Impact of Right Ventricular Dysfunction on Mortality in Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19, According to Race

Background Epidemiologic studies suggest that Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) patients may be at risk of worse outcomes from coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), but the pathophysiological drivers for this association are unknown. This study sought to investigate the relationship between findings on echocardiography, mortality, and race in COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods This was a multicentre, retrospective, observational study including 164 adults (aged 61 ± 13 years; 78% male; 36% BAME) hospitalized with COVID-19 undergoing echocardiography between March 16 and May 9, 2020 at 3 days (interquartile range 2-5) from admission. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Results After a median follow-up of 31 days (interquartile range 14-42 days), 66 (40%) patients had died. The right ventricle was dilated in 62 (38%) patients, and 58 (35%) patients had right ventricular (RV) systolic dysfunction. Only 2 (1%) patients had left ventricular (LV) dilatation, and 133 (81%) had normal or hyperdynamic LV systolic function. Reduced tricuspid annulus planar systolic excursion was associated with elevated D-dimer (ρ = −0.18, P = 0.025) and high-sensitivity cardiac Troponin (ρ = −0.30, P < 0.0001). Reduced RV systolic function (hazard ratio 1.80; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-3.09; P = 0.032) was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality after adjustment for demographic and clinical risk factors. Comparing white and BAME individuals, there were no differences in echocardiography findings, biomarkers, or mortality. Conclusions In patients hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia, reduced RV systolic function is prevalent and associated with all-cause mortality. There is, however, no racial variation in the early findings on echocardiography, biomarkers, or mortality.