Electrocardiogram and Echocardiographic Findings of COVID-19 Patients in Makati Medical Center

BACKGROUND Echocardiography and electrocardiogram may prove useful in the care of COVID-19 patients but there is limited data postulating their usefulness in this disease. OBJECTIVE To determine electrocardiographic and echocardiographic findings among COVID-19 patients in Makati Medical Center. METHODS A retrospective single center analytical study involving adult Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) confirmed COVID-19 positive patients admitted in Makati Medical Center from March to April 16, 2020. These patients had more than one electrocardiogram (ECG) result and a 2D echocardiography done during their admission. The initial and repeat ECGs during the course of hospital stay were obtained to determine if there were changes in ECG. On the other hand, echocardiographic investigations were confined to studies of left and right ventricular systolic function. RESULTS In the initial ECG findings, the most common abnormalities observed were QT prolongation (39.39%), ischemic changes (15.15%), and fascicular blocks (12.12%). During the course of admission, the most common were still QT prolongation (39.39%) and ischemic changes (13.64%), with the additional observation of further prolongation in QT from baseline (24.24%). For the echocardiographic findings, the right and left systolic functions were preserved in majority of the patients. No significant difference was noted in the electrogram and echocardiographic findings between survivor and non-survivors. CONCLUSION Majority of patients had abnormal ECG at baseline with further worsening during the course of confinement. Almost all abnormalities were related to QT prolongation. Though most patients had elevated cardiac biomarkers, only few patients had notable abnormalities in left and right ventricular function. Keywords COVID 19, Electrocardiogram, 2D Echocardiography