The Relationship of In-Hospital Mortality with Cardiac Injury in COVID-19 Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

Objective: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) emerged in late 2019 and has caused a pandemic, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. However, the clinical significance of cardiac injury in patients affected by COVID-19 is still unknown. Therefore, our objective was to explore the association between cardiac injury and mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Material(s) and Method(s): The study included four hundred forty-three patients with laboratory values for troponin and follow-up. The mean age was 57.3+/-16.0 years. The male to female ratio was 1.53. Fever (45.6%) and cough (42.7%) were the most frequent sign and symptom at admission. Hypertension was the most common comorbidity, identified in 140 patients (31.6%). Result(s): In 143 (32.2%) patients, we determined cardiac injury. The median length of hospital stay was ten days. The mortality rate was 14.4%. The median length of hospital stay was longer in patients with cardiac injury (14 days vs. 9 days, respectively) (p<0.001). The mortality rate was 3.7% in the patients without cardiac injury, whereas the mortality rate was significantly higher among the patients with cardiac injury (37.7%, p<0.001). The multivariable model showed that cardiac injury was the only independent risk factor for death. There was a higher risk of death in patients with cardiac injury than in those without cardiac injury [hazard ratio, 4.01 (95% confidence interval, 1.85-8.72, p<0.001)]. Conclusion(s): In conclusion, cardiac injury is a common condition among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and is associated with an elevated risk of in-hospital mortality. In addition, it is significantly more common in patients with known heart disease, complicating the treatment process.Copyright © 2022 by Turkiye Klinikleri.