Key result
Echocardiography is an essential diagnostic tool for detecting cardiovascular complications in COVID-19 patients, but requires strict use of personal protective equipment to mitigate infection risk.
Why the study?
Cardiovascular diseases are common and linked to higher mortality in COVID-19, but echocardiographic examinations carry an increased risk of infection for healthcare providers.
Echocardiography is crucial for diagnosing cardiovascular complications in COVID-19 patients, but requires strict infection control measures including appropriate PPE and use of point-of-care ultrasound when possible to protect healthcare workers.
Cardiac evaluation may be warranted in severe COVID-19; hypothesis-generating for imaging-based risk stratification.
Novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and it has become a pandemic problem. Cardiovascular diseases are common in COVID-19 patients, especially in severe forms of infection, and these are associated with higher mortality. SARS-CoV-2 infection can cause cardiovascular disease and worsen preexisting disease by direct invasion, hypoxia associated with pneumonia, and immunologic mechanisms. Because prompt detection and proper treatment can be critical to COVID-19 patients, echocardiographic examinations are essential diagnostic tools in the diagnosis and determination of treatment options. However, because there is an increased risk of infection during echocardiographic examinations, healthcare providers should pay attention to mitigate the risk of infection during the diagnosis and management of COVID-19 patients.
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Choi et al. (2020) conducted a review in COVID-19 with suspected cardiovascular involvement. Echocardiography was evaluated. Echocardiography is an essential diagnostic tool for detecting cardiovascular complications in COVID-19 patients, but requires strict use of personal protective equipment to mitigate infection risk.
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