Speckle-Tracking-Based Evaluation of Vascular Strain at Different Sites of the Arterial Tree in Healthy Adults.

Purpose: Vascular ultrasound (US) allows the analysis of vascular strain by speckle-tracking. This study sought to assess the extent to which vas cular strain varies between different segments of the arterial tree. Furthermore, this study aimed to investigate the reproducibility of vascular strain determination as well as of the components that contribute to the variance of vascular strain measurements in different vascular beds. Materials and Methods: Speckle-tracking was used to determine the vascular strain of the abdominal aorta (AA), the common carotid artery (CCA), the common femoral (CFA) and the popliteal artery (PA) of healthy adults. Intra- and interday reproducibility and the components of variance of vascular strain of the respective arteries were determined. Results: A total of 589 US clips obtained in 10 healthy adults (7 males, 28.3 ±â€Š3.2 years) were analyzable. Vascular strain was 7.2 ±â€Š3.0 % in the AA, 5.7 ±â€Š2.1 % in the CCA, 2.1 ±â€Š1.1 % in the CFA and 1.9 ±â€Š1.1 % in the PA. The intraday coefficients of variation of vascular strain were 6.2 % (AA), 3.9 % (CCA), 3.3 % (CFA) and 6.1 % (PA), and the interday coefficients of variation were 5.9 % (AA), 8.4 % (CCA), 10 % (CFA) and 4.6 % (PA). The variance of vascular strain mainly depended on the investigated vessel and subject. Individual DUS clips, the day of examination and the (right/left) body side (in paired arteries) had no impact on the variance of vascular strain. Conclusion: Vascular strain substantially varies between different sites of the arterial tree. Speckle-tracking by DUS allows the reliable determination of vascular strain at different arterial sites.

Severe COVID-19 and its cardiopulmonary effects 6 and 18 months after hospital discharge.

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 infection affects the cardiopulmonary system in the acute as well as long-term phase. The aim of the present study was to comprehensively assess symptoms and possible long-term impairments 6 and 18 months after hospitalization for severe COVID-19 infection. Methods: This prospective registry included patients with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 infection requiring hospitalization. Follow-up approximately 6 months post discharge comprised a detailed patient history, clinical examination, transthoracic echocardiography, electrocardiogram, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI), chest computed tomography (CT) scan, pulmonary function test (PFT), six-minute walk test (6MWT) and a laboratory panel. At the time of the second follow-up visit at 18 months, patients without pathologic findings during the first study visit were contacted by phone to inquire about the course of their symptoms. In all other patients all initial examinations were repeated. Results: Two hundred Patients, who were hospitalized for COVID-19, were contacted by phone and were recruited for the study. Due to dropouts the second study visit was performed in 170 patients. A comparison between the two study visits at 6 and 18 months post discharge showed the following results: Six months after discharge, 73% and 18 months after discharge 52% fulfilled the criteria for Long COVID with fatigue being the most common symptom (49%). Echocardiography at 6 months post discharge showed an impaired left ventricular function in 8% of which 80% returned to normal. Six months post discharge, cMRI revealed pericardial effusion in 17% which resolved in 47% of the 15 patients who underwent a control cMRI. Signs of peri- or myocarditis were present in 5% of the patients and were resolved in all 4 patients who attended control studies. At 6 months, chest CT scans identified post-infectious residues in 24%. In the 25 repeated chest CT scans 20% showed full recovery. Length of in-hospital stay was identified as a significant predictor for persisting Long COVID (95% CI: 1.005-1.12, p = 0.03). Conclusion: Comparing 6 to 18 months, the prevalence of Long COVID decreased over time, but a high symptom burden remained. Structural and functional abnormalities were less frequent than the portrayed symptoms, and it thus remains a challenge to substantiate the symptoms.