Introduction: Direct and indirect sequels of COVID-19 in the cardiovascular system are unclear The present study aims to investigate the echocardiography findings in COVID-19 patients and possible correlations between the findings and the disease outcome Methods: In this cross-sectional study, baseline characteristics and echocardiographic findings of hospitalized COVID-19 cases, and their correlation with mortality were evaluated Furthermore, computed tomography (CT) angiography was performed to assess possible pulmonary embolism In-hospital mortality was considered as the main outcome of the present study Results: 680 confirmed COVID-19 cases with the mean age of 55 15 +/- 10 92 (range: 28 - 79) years were studied (63 09% male) Analysis showed that history of ischemic heart disease (RR=1 14;95% CI: 1 08-1 19), history of hypertension (RR=1 04;95% CI: 1 00-1 08), presence of embolism in main pulmonary artery (RR=1 53;95% CI: 1 35-1 74), CT involvement more than 70% (RR=1 08;95% CI: 1 1 01-1 16), left ventricular ejection fraction &lt; 30 (RR=1 19;95% CI: 1 07-1 32), pleural effusion (RR=1 08;95% CI: 1 00-1 16), pulmonary artery systolic blood pressure 35 to 50 mmHg (RR=1 11;95% CI: 1 03-1 18), right ventricular dysfunction (RR=1 54;95% CI: 1 40-1 08), and collapsed inferior vena-cava (RR=1 05;95% CI: 1 01-1 08) were independent prognostic factors of in-hospital mortality Conclusion: Our study showed that cardiac involvement is a prevalent complication in COVID-19 patients Echocardiography findings have independent prognostic value for prediction of in-hospital mortality Since echocardiography is an easy and accessible method, echocardiography monitoring of COVID-19 patients can be used as a screening tool for identification of high-risk patients
Echocardiographic Abnormalities as Independent Prognostic Factors of In-Hospital Mortality among COVID-19 Patients