First-phase EF confers greater risk for death in hospitalized patients with COVID-19
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Among hospitalized patients with COVID-19, those with reduced first-phase ejection fraction were more likely to die compared with patients with normal first-phase EF, researchers reported.
First-phase EF is a measure of EF in early systole up to the time of peak aortic velocity, and low first-phase EF may predict preclinical HF, according to the study background.
“Patients with impaired first-phase ejection fraction could be prioritized for vaccines and, if they get COVID-19, monitored closely at the early stages of their illness to prevent deterioration. The findings suggest that if we can prevent the very early chronic damage to the heart detected using first-phase ejection fraction imaging, then people will be much more likely to survive respiratory infections like COVID-19,” Phil Chowienczyk, MBBS, BSc, professor of cardiovascular clinical pharmacology at St Thomas’ Hospital, London, said in a press release.
Researchers analyzed mortality rates for 380 hospitalized COVID-19 patients (mean age, 58 years; 58% men) in Wuhan, China, and in South London, England, who were treated from February to May 2020.
According to the researchers, patients with a first-phase EF of less than 25% had a nearly fivefold higher risk for death than those with an EF of 25% or higher (unadjusted HR = 5.23; 95% CI, 2.85-9.6; P < .001; aHR = 4.83; 95% CI, 2.35-9.95; P < .001).
According to the researchers, the relatively small size of the study suggests that the findings need to be confirmed in larger studies with more patients and, if the results are the same, first-phase EF could be a new way of identifying patients at higher risk for dying of COVID-19 and perhaps other types of pneumonia.
“Healthy lifestyle choices, better treatments and adherence to treatments for high blood pressure and high cholesterol are also important,” Chowienczyk said in the release.
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