The link between severe forms of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and cardiovascular diseases has been well documented by various studies that indicated a higher risk of cardiovascular complications in COVID-19 patients, in parallel with a higher risk of mortality in COVID-19 patients with underlying cardiovascular diseases. It seems that inflammation, which is a major pathophysiological substrate for both acute myocardial infarction and severe forms of COVID-19, may play a pivotal role in the interrelation between these two critical conditions, and hypercoagulability associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection could be responsible for acute cardiovascular complications. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) proved to be independent predictors for prognosis in acute coronary syndromes and systemic inflammatory diseases; therefore, they may be used as independent prognostic markers of disease severity in COVID-19 infection. The aim of this review is to present the most recent advances in understanding the complex link between SARS-CoV-2 infection, inflammation and alteration of blood coagulability and hemorheology, leading to major cardiovascular events.

Cardiac complications are among the most frequent extrapulmonary manifestations of COVID-19 and are associated with high mortality rates. Moreover, positive SARS-CoV-2 patients with underlying cardiovascular disease are more likely to require intensive care and are at higher risk of death. The underlying mechanism for myocardial injury is multifaceted, in which the severe inflammatory response causes myocardial inflammation, coronary plaque destabilization, acute thrombotic events, and ischemia. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is the non-invasive method of choice for identifying myocardial injury, and it is able to differentiate between underlying causes in various and often challenging clinical scenarios. Multimodal imaging protocols that incorporate CMR and computed tomography provide a complex evaluation for both respiratory and cardiovascular complications of SARS-CoV2 infection. This, in relation to biological evaluation of systemic inflammation, can guide appropriate therapeutic management in every stage of the disease. The use of artificial intelligence can further improve the diagnostic accuracy of these imaging techniques, thus enabling risk stratification and evaluation of prognosis. The present manuscript aims to review the current knowledge on the possible modalities for imaging COVID-related myocardial inflammation or post-COVID coronary inflammation and atherosclerosis.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between serum biomarkers of left ventricular dysfunction and systemic inflammation in the first days after the acute episode, and to investigate their role for early identification of patients at high risk for post-infarction heart failure. Materials and methods: In total, 123 subjects admitted to the Intensive Cardiovascular Care Unit of the Cardiology Clinic of the Târgu Mureș County Clinical Emergency Hospital, Romania, with acute myocardial infarction were retrospectively analyzed in this study. Based on the level of NT-proBNP, the study population was divided into 2 groups: Group 1 (n = 92), with NT-proBNP <3,000 pg/mL, and Group 2 (n = 31), with NT-proBNP >3,000 pg/mL. Results: Biomarkers reflecting systemic inflammation presented significantly higher values in patients with elevated NT-proBNP (hs-CRP – 12.3 ± 8.9 mg/L vs. 3.6 ± 6.7 mg/L, p <0.0001, and interleukin 6 – 27.6 ± 30.7 pg/mL vs. 8.6 ± 6.2 pg/mL, p <0.0001). However, cell adhesion molecules VCAM and ICAM were not significantly different between the groups. Patients in Group 2 presented significantly higher rates of major cardiovascular events and rehospitalizations in the first year after the acute coronary event, with 13.33% event rate for patients in Group 2 compared to 8.7% in Group 1 (p <0.05). Conclusions: Serum biomarkers of ventricular dysfunction are strongly associated with systemic inflammation and ventricular impairment in the immediate phase after an acute myocardial infarction. Systemic inflammation has a higher impact on the clinical outcomes and progression to heart failure than the local coronary inflammation expressed by cell adhesion molecules.

Patients with chest pain presenting to the emergency room are currently investigated using either invasive coronary angiography (ICA) or noninvasive coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). ICA remains an expensive diagnostic tool and exposes patients to a high risk of periprocedural complication. Besides the currently available expansive economic evidence, there is still an important lingering issue: to establish, from the healthcare provider’s point of view, which is the most cost-effective investigation tool for the detection of significant coronary artery disease. The aim of this article is to present the latest developments in the field of imaging tools for the detection of coronary atherosclerosis in patients with chest pain, from the perspective of a cost-effectiveness analysis.

The increasing complexity of cardiovascular interventions requires advanced peri-procedural imaging and tailored treatment. Three-dimensional printing technology represents one of the most significant advances in the field of cardiac imaging, interventional cardiology or cardiovascular surgery. Patient-specific models may provide substantial information on intervention planning in complex cardiovascular diseases, and volumetric medical imaging from CT or MRI can be translated into patient-specific 3D models using advanced post-processing applications. 3D printing and additive manufacturing have a great variety of clinical applications targeting anatomy, implants and devices, assisting optimal interventional treatment and post-interventional evaluation. Although the 3D printing technology still lacks scientific evidence, its benefits have been shown in structural heart diseases as well as for treatment of complex arrhythmias and corrective surgery interventions. Recent development has enabled transformation of conventional 3D printing into complex 3D functional living tissues contributing to regenerative medicine through engineered bionic materials such hydrogels, cell suspensions or matrix components. This review aims to present the most recent clinical applications of 3D printing in cardiovascular medicine, highlighting also the potential for future development of this revolutionary technology in the medical field.