No abstract

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a serious illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The symptoms of the disease range from asymptomatic to mild respiratory symptoms and even potentially life-threatening cardiovascular and pulmonary complications. Cardiac complications include acute myocardial injury, arrhythmias, cardiogenic shock and even sudden death. Furthermore, drug interactions with COVID-19 therapies may place the patient at risk for arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy and sudden death. In this review, we summarise the cardiac manifestations of COVID-19 infection and propose a simplified algorithm for patient management during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Clinical Trial Registration Number: clinicaltrials.gov NCT04338009 | 1781 COHEN Et al. 1 | INTRODUC TI ON Since its emergence in December 2019, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has had a devastating global health impact. 1 COVID-19 is associated with a high incidence of multiorgan dysfunction and mortality. 2,3 Accordingly, there has been an extraordinary response by the international research community to quickly develop trials to evaluate potential disease-modifying interventions in COVID-19. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, several reports described hypertension as a risk factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection and severity. 4 Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a key counterregulatory component of the renin-angiotensin system (Figure 1), plays an important role in hypertension pathophysiology and also facilitates SARS-CoV-2 host cell entry. 5 ACE2 activity and expression have been implicated as potential contributors to SARS-CoV-2 infection and severity. 4 Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), two of the most commonly used antihypertensive classes, 6 may increase ACE2 expression. 4 Consequently, it was speculated that ACEIs and ARBs could worsen the risk of COVID-19 and COVID-19-related adverse outcomes, 7-10 resulting in widespread media coverage and possibly in empiric discontinuation of these medications. However, there is also evidence suggesting that ACE2 overexpression ameliorates lung injury associated with COVID-19, 11,12 and thus, ACEIs and ARBs could reduce adverse outcomes in patients with this infection. 4 Thus, it remains

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) cytotoxicity may involve inhibition of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha. Fenofibrate activates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha and inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in vitro. Whether fenofibrate can be used to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection in humans remains unknown. Here, we randomly assigned inpatients and outpatients with COVID-19 within 14 d of symptom onset to 145 mg of oral fenofibrate nanocrystal formulation versus placebo for 10 d, in a double-blinded fashion. The primary endpoint was a severity score whereby participants were ranked across hierarchical tiers incorporating time to death, mechanical ventilation duration, oxygenation, hospitalization and symptom severity and duration. In total, 701 participants were randomized to fenofibrate (n = 351) or placebo (n = 350). The mean age of participants was 49 ± 16 years, 330 (47%) were female, mean body mass index was 28 ± 6 kg/m 2 and 102 (15%) had diabetes. Death occurred in 41 participants. Compared with placebo, fenofibrate had no effect on the primary endpoint. The median (interquartile range) rank in the placebo arm was 347 (172, 453) versus 345 (175, 453) in the fenofibrate arm (P = 0.819). There was no difference in secondary and exploratory endpoints, including all-cause death, across arms. There were 61 (17%) adverse events in the placebo arm compared with 46 (13%) in the fenofibrate arm, with slightly higher incidence of gastrointestinal side effects in the fenofibrate group. Overall, among patients with COVID-19, fenofibrate has no significant effect on various clinically relevant outcomes (NCT04517396).Infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, is an important public health problem. Available data suggest that COVID-19 progression is dependent on metabolic mechanisms 1 . Individuals with COVID-19 who developed acute respiratory distress syndrome and death are characterized by older age and a higher prevalence of hypertension, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases compared to individuals with milder disease [1][2][3][4][5][6] . Hyperglycaemia and hyperlipidaemia are also risk factors for acute respiratory distress in patients with COVID-19 disease 1,7 . Indeed, type 2 diabetes mellitus and the metabolic syndrome are associated with a markedly increased risk of death in the setting of 5 ).Several experimental studies suggest a mechanistic link between abnormal metabolism and the severity of SARS-CoV-2 and other coronavirus infections. Palmitoylation of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein has been shown to be essential for virus-cell fusion and infectivity [8][9][10] . Gene expression analyses in cultured human bronchial cells infected with

Cardiac arrest, though not common during coronary angiography, is increasingly occurring in the catheterization laboratory because of the expanding complexity of percutaneous interventions (PCI) and the patient population being treated. Manual chest compression in the cath lab is not easily performed, often interrupted, and can result in the provider experiencing excessive radiation exposure. Mechanical cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) provides unique advantages over manual performance of chest compression for treating cardiac arrest in the cardiac cath lab. Such advantages include the potential for uninterrupted chest compressions, less radiation exposure, better quality chest compressions, and less crowded conditions around the catheterization table, allowing more attention to ongoing PCI efforts during CPR. Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients not responding to standard ACLS therapy can be transported to the hospital while mechanical CPR is being performed to provide safe and continuous chest compressions en route. Once at the hospital, advanced circulatory support can be instituted during ongoing mechanical CPR. This article summarizes the epidemiology, pathophysiology and nature of cardiac arrest in the cardiac cath lab and discusses the mechanics of CPR and defibrillation in that setting. It also reviews the various types of mechanical CPR and their potential roles in and on the way to the laboratory. (Circ J 2016; 80: 1292 -1299