Background: Individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 and pre-existing heart disease have more grave outcomes. The potential prognostic value of right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) in patients with COVID-19 remains uncertain, as existing studies are limited in size and scope. The RV functions could be evaluated more accurately by 3D echocardiography. The 3D-Echo-derived RVEF is a prognostic indicator for cardiovascular events among individuals with preexisting cardiovascular diseases.
Objectives: This study aimed to assess the RV function and size in healthcare workers recovered from COVID-19 infection by 3D echocardiography.
Methods: The study included 50 healthcare professionals at Ain Shams University Hospitals who had recovered a PCR-positive COVID-19 infection with a mild or moderate clinical presentation. All study patients were examined by 2D & 3D echocardiography.
Results: Fifty patients were included, and 32 were affected (64.0%) as measured by RVEF. The mean duration since infection was 11 months compared to 16 months in normal patients, which was statistically significant with a P value ≤ 0.001. Of the 32 affected patients, 17 had chest pain (53.1%) while 4 patients only had chest pain with infection and RV function was normal by 3D Echo (22% of normal patients) and this is statistically significant with the P value 0.034. Out of 18 normal patients, 12 patients had a fever (66.7%) while 11 had a fever out of 32 affected patients (34.4%), which was statistically significant with a P value of 0.02.
Conclusion: 3D echo effectively assesses RV function and detects subclinical impairment in healthcare workers post-COVID-19 recovery.