Since March 11, 2020, when the WHO declared COVID-19 as a pandemic,  this disease grabbed media attention globally. New information on the disease has been flooding the mainstream medical journals monthly and weekly, if not daily. Reader fatigue has already set in. However, conscientious health specialists and journalists must disseminate information quickly now to benefit everyone, especially the public and the health care community.

A paper titled “Cardiovascular complications in COVID-19” published in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine by a team of researchers which included Dr William Brady, University of Virginia at Charlottesville  highlighted the urgency for quick, uninterrupted and updated interdisciplinary communication. 

Is there a need for public to know such details? It may help public and physicians to arrive at shared decisions. The public will appreciate how physicians take decisions in spite of the challenges they face from an unknown enemy. Shared knowledge and mutual respect shall moderate unjustified expectations.

Dr Brady and colleagues searched Pub Med and Google Scholar for articles using 15 keywords including “COVID-19”, “SARS-CoV-2”, “and heart”, “cardiac”, “myocardial injury”, “acute myocardial infarction”, “acute coronary syndrome”, “heart failure”, etc.  It was a commendable job. They  included case reports, retrospective and prospective studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, clinical guidelines, and narrative reviews focusing on COVID-19 and cardiovascular effects and complications.  They critically examined the articles and included in the review, 45 of them, by consensus.

Cardiovascular complications

Researchers noted that COVID-19 can cause serious cardiovascular complications including, heart failure, heart attacks and blood clots that can lead to strokes. They also warned that COVID-19 treatments can interact with medicines used to manage patients’ existing cardiovascular conditions.

Their paper aims to serve as a guide for emergency-medicine doctors treating patients who may have or are known to have COVID-19. The authors clarified that specialists paid more attention to the pulmonary (breathing) complications of COVID-19, and less to cardiovascular complications that can lead to death or lasting impairment.

“In writing this article, we hope to increase emergency physicians’ knowledge and awareness of this new pathogen and its impact on the cardiovascular system,” a press release from the University quoted Dr William  Brady,

“As we encounter more and more patients with COVID-19-related illness, we are increasing our understanding of its impact on the body in general and the cardiovascular system in particular. The rate of learning on this area is amazingly rapid. Information continues to change weekly, if not daily.” He clarified.

Media Contact
John Mathews
Journal Manager
Current Trends in Cardiology
Email: cardiologyres@eclinicalsci.com