The diagnostic utility of cardiac imaging (echocardiogram and cardiac MRI) in COVID 19 patients and cardiac complications: retrospective cohort study in Saudi Arabia

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background/Introduction Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to cause considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide. The complication in patients with severe COVID-19 disease include arrhythmias, peri-myocarditis (PM), and heart failure (HF). Purpose The important role of echocardiogram (ECHO) and cardiac MRI (CMRI) in the diagnosis of myocarditis in COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia has not been assessed. The objective is to assess the diagnostic value of ECHO and CMRI and define phenotypes patterns in the COVID-19 subgroup. Methods In this retrospective study, adults with suspected COVID-19 presented with dyspnea and cardiovascular comorbidities were studied between January 2021 and December 2021. We collected 329 patients, (LVEF by ECHO was 44±11%). Fifty-two percent (173/329), had HF (HFrEF or HFpEF), thirty-six percent presented with acute coronary syndrome ACS (120/329), and four percent had adult congenital heart disease (ACHD). CMRI was performed in 160 patients (LVEF is 40±11%), and fifty-two were COVID-19 positive. CMRI Phenotypes patterns were described as normal, ischemic, or nonischemic (peri-myocarditis). LVEF was divided by CMRI as (EF≥50 or EF