WASE II: Ventricular Changes in Patients with Acute COVID-19 Infection: Follow-Up of The World Alliance Societies of Echocardiography (WASE-COVID) Study.
Karagodin et al, J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2021.
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Why it matters EchoGo Core can be used to describe the LV function and monitor the heart for changes following acute infection. |
Introduction:
COVID-19 infection is known to cause a wide array of clinical chronic sequelae but little is known regarding the long-term cardiac complications.
The aim of WASE II is to use FDA-cleared AI platform 'EchoGo Core' to report echocardiographic follow-up findings and describe the cardiac remodelling that occurs following acute COVID-19 infection.
This is a follow-up study to WASE I, an international study conducted by the World Alliance Societies of Echocardiography, which used EchoGo Core to help determine the clinical and echocardiographic phenotype of acute cardiac disease in COVID-19 patients, by identifying which echocardiographic parameters were most predictive of early clinical outcomes. Click here to find out the results and see how EchoGo Core was able to predict patient outcomes, when manual analysis did not.
Methods:
Patients enrolled in the WASE-COVID study with acute COVID-19 infection were asked to return for a follow-up transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE). Overall, 198 returned at a mean of 129 days of follow-up, of which 153 had paired baseline and follow-up images that were analyzable, including left ventricular (LV) volumes, ejection fraction (EF), and longitudinal strain (LVLS).
Right-sided echocardiographic parameters included right ventricular (RV) global longitudinal strain (RVGLS), RV free wall strain (RVFWS), and RV basal diameter (RVBD). Paired echocardiographic parameters at baseline and follow-up were compared for the entire cohort and for subgroups based on the baseline LV and RV function.
For the entire cohort, echocardiographic markers of LV and RV function at follow-up were not significantly different from baseline (all p>0.5). Patients with hyperdynamic LVEF at baseline (>70%), had a significant reduction of LVEF at follow-up (74.3±3.1% vs. 64.4±8.1 %, p<0.001), while patients with reduced LVEF at baseline (<50%) had a significant increase (42.5±5.9% vs 49.3±13.4% , p=0.02), and those with normal LVEF had no change.
Patients with normal LVLS (<-18%) at baseline, had a significant reduction of LVLS at follow-up (-21.6±2.6 % vs. -20.3±4.0% , p=0.006), while patients with impaired LVLS at baseline, had a significant improvement at follow-up (-14.5±2.9 % vs. -16.7±5.2%, p<0.001).
Patients with abnormal RVGLS (>-20%) at baseline, had significant improvement at follow-up (15.2±3.4 % vs. -17.4±4.9 %, p=0.004). Patients with abnormal RVBD (>4.5 cm) at baseline, had significant improvement at follow-up (4.9±0.7 cm vs 4.6±0.6 cm, p=0.019).
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EchoGo Core is FDA-cleared and backed by real-world validation. To learn more, download our whitepaper on EchoGo. |
Conclusion:
Overall, there were no significant changes overtime in LV and RV function of patients recovering from COVID-19 infection.
However, differences were observed according to baseline LV and RV function, which may reflect recovery from the acute myocardial injury occurring in the acutely ill.
LV and RV function tends to improve in those with impaired baseline function, while it tends to decrease in those with hyperdynamic LV or normal RV.
See full publication: https://www.onlinejase.com/article/S0894-7317(21)00817-8/fulltext