Myocarditis after COVID-19, sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy, and haemodynamic assessment of heart failure: focus on the myocardium

This Focus Issue on heart failure and cardiomyopathies and clinical trials contains a Special Article entitled 'Myopericardial complications following COVID-19 disease and vaccination: a clinical consensus statement of the European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Myocardial and Pericardial Diseases' by Massimo Imazio from the University of Udine in Italy, and colleagues.Vaccinations are playing a growing role in cardiovascular prevention. 122]3456 The authors' aim to review the current knowledge on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, therapy, and outcomes of myocardial and pericardial complications of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). 7The risk of myopericardial complications in particular is higher within 1 month of COVID-19 and vaccination against this disease.Forms related to the disease are generally more common and severe than those related to vaccination.Even if vaccination against COVID-19 increases myocarditis risk, this risk is lower in vaccinated than in non-vaccinated COVID-19 individuals, supporting the use of vaccines.Overall, COVID-19-related complications, especially myocarditis, are relatively rare.Cardiomyopathies represent an important field of cardiovascular medicine and are characterized by a complex classification. 8910111213141516 Myocardial dysfunction caused by sepsis, usually termed 'sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy' (SICM), is common and has long been a subject of interest for intensivists and cardiologists.In a State of the Art Review article entitled 'Sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy', Nadia Aissaoui from Paris Cit University in France, and colleagues summarize current knowledge on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and clinical presentation of SICM, and provide insights to help clinicians manage such patients. 17Despite the lack of a consensus definition, SICM is widely recognized as a reversible condition