A fast drop in COVID-19 antibodies in mild patients triggers the alarm for protection against the new virus. This decrease, observed within the first 90 days after contagion, might slow down over time. However, it calls for caution when it comes to the feeling of “protection” in recovered patients, vaccine immunization at long-term, and ultimately…
COVID-19 PE: Nontraditional Risk Factors?
Risk factors for pulmonary embolism (PE) among patients with the new coronavirus are different from those traditionally observed. A French study recently published in Eur Heart J showed those new risk factors, and also that the risk of PE is reduced by the use of anticoagulant agents, just like in patients with conventional risk factors.…
Webinar SOLACI | NSTE-ACS Revascularization: Times and Methods in the COVID-19 Era
Watch again our Webinar on “NSTE-ACS Revascularization: Times and Methods in the COVID-19 Era” on our Youtube account. We are interested in your opinion. Please, leave your comments, thoughts, questions, etc., below. They will be most welcome.
Vasculitis, Thrombosis and Angiogenesis: Covid-19´s Unique Patters
In this small, yet interesting series, we observe angiogenesis could differentiate pulmonary physiopathology by Covid-19 vs. from viral infections of similar severity (such as influenza). Being quite small, we can hardly consider it universal, or whether it could have clinical impact. Meanwhile, we keep learning about the new virus. Progressive respiratory failure is the main…
European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions Position Statement During the Pandemic
This document emerges from the assembly of the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI) and the Acute Cardiovascular Care Association (ACVC). Both associations gathered their most prominent experts, including people who worked in the European areas most affected by COVID-19. Their aim was to modify diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms to adapt the evidence collected…
EuroPCR 2020 | Sudden Death Increase Two to Three Times While MI Rate Falls
The number of sudden deaths reported around the world is on the rise in Covid-19 times. These deaths are caused either by the virus and its capacity to produce lethal arrhythmias or by the fact that patients are staying away from hospitals and are not being examined. Cardiologists were the first to warn that the…
Myocardial Injury in One Third of COVID-19 Patients
Roughly one third of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 have some degree of myocardial injury and this comes hand in hand with increased mortality compared against patients with no troponin elevation. Even mild forms of myocardial injury, such as 0.03 to 0.09 ng/mL troponin elevation, is associated with close to 100% increase in mortality (HR: 1.75;…
Estimating the Risk of Infection for Healthcare Personnel
Roughly one out of every 100 healthcare workers at hospitals receiving COVID-19 patients become infected. Statistics are not uniform for all corners of earth, and they do not indicate that being on the front line necessarily entails higher risk. A large analysis conducted in the initial epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic (Wuhan, China) showed that 110…
Priorities in the Cath Lab to Escape COVID-19 Tsunami
The pandemic tsunami of COVID-19 has hit all cath lab services, especially those performing primary PCI. Passively waiting for the first patient suspected of infection only to improvise in the early hours means heading for disaster. Several scientific societies have published recommendations, but not based on clear data. It seems pertinent to bear in mind…
Covid-19 and Unaccounted Collateral Damage
Dr Metzler and collaborators carried out a retrospective search to find out the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on diagnosis and treatment of acute coronary syndromes during March 2020 in Austria. Basically, they tried to account for the collateral damage we all imagine, but no government reports. During March we observed a significant drop in…