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Alternation in follow-up echocardiographic indices in patients with COVID-19: a prospective cohort study
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  • Yeganeh Pasebani,
  • Zohre Kahe,
  • Ali Rafati,
  • Nastaran Salimi,
  • Yousef Rezaei,
  • Zahra Rahnamoun,
  • Nasrin Mousavi,
  • Arezoo Vadadi Haghighattalab,
  • Niloufar Samiei
Yeganeh Pasebani
Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center

Corresponding Author:yeganehpasebani@gmail.com

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Zohre Kahe
Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center
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Ali Rafati
Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center
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Nastaran Salimi
Iran University of Medical Sciences
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Yousef Rezaei
Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center
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Zahra Rahnamoun
Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center
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Nasrin Mousavi
Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center
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Arezoo Vadadi Haghighattalab
Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center
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Niloufar Samiei
Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center
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Abstract

Background Cardiovascular complications are frequently reported among patients with pulmonary coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Echocardiography has been immensely implemented for diagnosing cardiovascular involvements. We aimed to evaluate the changes in echocardiographic parameters in health care workers infected with COVID-19 during follow-up. Methods This prospective study was conducted during Iran’s third COVID-19 wave in November 2020 among health care workers who were infected with COVID-19 but otherwise healthy. A total of 100 patients underwent echocardiographic examination six to eight weeks following recovery, an early follow-up. Six months after the COVID-19 diagnosis, as the late follow-up, 63 subjects underwent echocardiographic evaluations. Moreover, based on clinical and radiological evidence, individuals were categorized into two groups of non-severe and severe COVID-19. Results The participants’ mean age was 40.4±8.1 years. In the non-severe COVID-19 group, Right Ventricle Free-Wall Global Longitudinal Strain (RVFWGLS) significantly decreased in the follow-up echocardiogram (-32.3±4.6% vs. -28.8±5.8%, p-value=0.002). RV Fraction Area Change (RV-FAC) (46.6% [43.6-53] vs. 39.7% [25-43] , p-value <0.001) and, Tricuspid Annular Plane Systolic Excursion (TAPSE) (21 mm [19-24] vs. 23 mm [20-25], p-value=0.09) did not show a significant change. In the severe COVID-19 group in late echocardiogram, RVFWGLS showed no statistically significant change (-28.3%±3.5 vs. -28.6%±5.1, p-value=0.79). The RV-FAC (47.2% [42.3-52.2] vs. 36.4% [31.1-45], p-value=0.002) showed a significant decrease, and TAPSE (22.5 mm [19.1-24.2] vs. 23 mm [21-25], p-value= 0.55) was comparable. Conclusion Although LV and RV functions did not vary significantly over time in our entire cohort, different patterns of changes were discovered according to baseline function.