The effect of prior COVID-19 infection on coronary microvascular dysfunction.

BACKGROUND: Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction Frame Count (TFC) is an index that provides a quantitative evaluation of coronary microvascular dysfunction. In this study, we aimed to examine the effect of COVID-19 infection on TFC in patients admitted with chest pain and dyspnoea after COVID-19 disease and had abnormal findings in myocardial perfusion scintigraphy. METHODS: For this single-center retrospective study, patients with and without a history of COVID-19 who were underwent coronary angiography for abnormal findings in myocardial perfusion scintigraphy between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021 were analysed. Patients were divided into two groups as patients with COVID-19 history and those without. After exclusion criteria, patients with adequate angiographic monitoring and data were included in the study. RESULTS: A total of 210 patients, 48 with a history of COVID-19, were included in the study. The mean age was ±55 10 years, and 122 (58%) patients were women. In patients with a history of COVID-19, TFC was significantly higher in the LAD (p < 0.001) and LCx (p < 0.001) arteries and RCA TFC (p = 0.223) was similar in both groups. In the linear mix model, male gender (ß = 2.38, 95% CI = 1.26-3.51, p < 0.001) and history of COVID-19 (ß = 1.51, 95% CI = 0.49-2.53, p = 0.004) were significantly associated with TFC. CONCLUSION: TFC may be elevated due to coronary microvascular dysfunction in patients with a history of COVID-19.

SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging identifies myocardial ischemia in patients with a history of COVID-19 without coronary artery disease.

We aimed to examine the effect of a history of COVID-19 on myocardial ischemia in single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in patients who presented with shortness of breath and/or chest pain after recovery. For this single-center retrospective study, patients who presented at cardiology outpatient clinics and had SPECT-MPI were screened. A total of 1888 patients were included in the study, 340 of whom had a history of COVID-19. 64 patients with > 50% stenosis on coronary angiography were excluded from the study. The primary outcome of the study was abnormal MPI. In the study population, the median age was 56 (49-64 IQR) years, and 1127 (65%) of the patients were female. Abnormal MPI was detected in 77 patients (23%) in the COVID-19 group and in 244 patients (16%) in the non-COVID-19 group. After adjustment was performed for clinical predictors using Bayesian logistic regression, an important association was found between the presence of a confirmed prior COVID-19 infection and abnormal MPI (posterior median odds ratio, 1.70 [95% CrI, 1.20-2.40], risk difference, 9.6% [95% CrI, 1.8%, 19.7%]). In SPECT-MPI, ischemia rates were observed to be higher in COVID-19 group and it was found that a confirmed prior COVID-19 might predict of abnormal MPI.