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Article
COVID-19 and the Cardiovascular System: An Update
Internal Medicine
  • Joshua K Salabei, HCA Healthcare
  • Zekarias T Asnake, HCA Healthcare
  • Zeeshan Ismail, HCA Healthcare
  • Kipson Richard Charles, HCA Healthcare
  • Gregory Thomas C Stanger, HCA Healthcare
  • Abdullahi H Abdullahi, HCA Healthcare
  • Andrew T Abraham, HCA Healthcare
  • Peters Okonoboh, HCA Healthcare
Division
North Florida
Hospital
North Florida Regional Medical Center
Document Type
Review Article
Publication Date
2-10-2022
Keywords
  • COVID-19,
  • SARS-CoV-2,
  • cardiovascular complications,
  • coronavirus,
  • inotropes,
  • myocarditis,
  • shock,
  • vaccine,
  • vasopressor
Abstract

As COVID-19 continues to cause an increasing number of deaths worldwide, it is important that providers stay abreast with new research related to the pathophysiology of COVID-19 disease presentation states and clinical management. It is now well recognized that COVID-19 affects extrapulmonary organs, particularly the cardiovascular system. For example, cardiogenic shock has been increasingly observed in patients with COVID-19, owing to the various mechanisms involved and the affinity of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to cells comprising the cardiovascular system. In this review, we have briefly discussed the link between the cardiovascular system and COVID-19 infection, focusing on underlying mechanisms including but not limited to cytokine storm, direct virus-induced myocarditis, and ST-elevation myocardial infarction leading to cardiogenic shock. We have highlighted the cardiovascular risk factors associated with disease prognostication in COVID-19 patients. We have also briefly discussed vasopressors and inotropes used for treating shock and presented their mechanism of action, contraindications, and side effects in the hopes of providing a quick reference to help the provider optimize management of COVID-19 patients presenting with cardiovascular complications such as shock.

Publisher or Conference
The American Journal of the Medical Sciences
Citation Information
Salabei JK, Asnake ZT, Ismail ZH, et al. COVID-19 and the Cardiovascular System: An Update [published online ahead of print, 2022 Feb 10]. Am J Med Sci. 2022;S0002-9629(22)00069-6. doi:10.1016/j.amjms.2022.01.022