Overview
This is a prospective cohort study that aims to clinical significance of subclinical myocardial involvement in recovered COVID-19 patients using cardiovascular magnetic resonance.
Description
This study aims to:
- Determine the extent of myocardial involvement of COVID-19, as assessed by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR), 2 weeks after patient recovery, at 3-month post discharge and at 1-year post discharge.
- Correlate these myocardial characteristics to biventricular structure, function, blood biomarkers of inflammation, clinical symptoms, and functional capacity at all time points.
- Follow up recovered COVID-19 patients beyond the end of this study to assess for hard outcomes such as death, heart failure hospitalization, cardiac arrest and ventricular tachycardia/ fibrillation.
Recovered COVID-19 patients and age and gender matched controls subjects will be recruited.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
• Recovered COVID-19 patients
Definition of recovered COVID-19 patient:
- COVID-19 diagnosis = established by a positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 [SARS-CoV2] and recovered from COVID-19.
- Recovery = based on two criteria: (1) two negative nasopharyngeal swab RT-PCR results
>24 hours apart and (2) absence of fever and improvement in respiratory symptoms.
- Recovered non-COVID-19 patients with viral respiratory infections confirmed with viral polymerase chain reaction testing AND with a confirmed negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test.
- Age and gender matched controls with no cardiac risk factors, not on cardiac medications, no history of myocardial infarction, heart failure or myocarditis, negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test and negative COVID-19 antibodies test.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Previous myocardial infarction or myocarditis unrelated to COVID-19 infection
- History of heart failure unrelated to COVID-19 infection
- Presence of pacemakers or implantable cardiac defibrillators
- Any contraindication for CMR testing
- Renal impairment with eGFR <45ml/min/1.73m2
- Limited life expectancy <1 year, for example due to pulmonary disease, cancer or significant hepatic failure
- Refusal or inability to sign an informed consent.
- Potential for non-compliance towards the requirements in the trial protocol (especially the medical treatment) or follow-up visits