Importance The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in severe psychological, social, and economic stress in people’s lives. It is not known whether the stress of the pandemic is associated with an increase in the incidence of stress cardiomyopathy. Objective To determine the incidence and outcomes of stress cardiomyopathy during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with before the pandemic. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective cohort study at cardiac catheterization laboratories with primary percutaneous coronary intervention capability at 2 hospitals in the Cleveland Clinic health system in Northeast Ohio examined the incidence of stress cardiomyopathy (also known asTakotsubo syndrome) in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome who underwent coronary arteriography. Patients presenting during the COVID-19 pandemic, between March 1 and April 30, 2020, were compared with 4 control groups of patients with acute coronary syndrome presenting prior to the pandemic across 4 distinct timelines: March to April 2018, January to February 2019, March to April 2019, and January to February 2020. Data were analyzed in May 2020. Exposures Patients were divided into 5 groups based on the date of their clinical presentation in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. Main Outcomes and Measures Incidence of stress cardiomyopathy. Results Among 1914 patient presenting with acute coronary syndrome, 1656 patients (median [interquartile range] age, 67 [59-74]; 1094 [66.1%] men) presented during the pre–COVID-19 period (390 patients in March-April 2018, 309 patients in January-February 2019, 679 patients in March-April 2019, and 278 patients in January-February 2020), and 258 patients (median [interquartile range] age, 67 [57-75]; 175 [67.8%] men) presented during the COVID-19 pandemic period (ie, March-April 2020). There was a significant increase in the incidence of stress cardiomyopathy during the COVID-19 period, with a total of 20 patients with stress cardiomyopathy (incidence proportion, 7.8%), compared with prepandemic timelines, which ranged from 5 to 12 patients with stress cardiomyopathy (incidence proportion range, 1.5%-1.8%). The rate ratio comparing the COVID-19 pandemic period to the combined prepandemic period was 4.58 (95% CI, 4.11-5.11;P  Conclusions and Relevance This study found that there was a significant increase in the incidence of stress cardiomyopathy during the COVID-19 pandemic when compared with prepandemic periods.

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Incidence of Stress Cardiomyopathy During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic.

The initial mechanism for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is the binding of the virus to the membrane-bound form of ACE2, which is mainly expressed in the lung. Since the heart and the vessels also express ACE2, they both could become targets of the virus. However, at present the extent and importance of this potential involvement are unknown. Cardiac troponin levels are significantly higher in patients with more severe infections, patients admitted to intensive care units or in those who have died. In the setting of COVID-19, myocardial injury, defined by an increased troponin level, occurs especially due to non-ischaemic myocardial processes, including severe respiratory infection with hypoxia, sepsis, systemic inflammation, pulmonary thrombosis and embolism, cardiac adrenergic hyperstimulation during cytokine storm syndrome, and myocarditis. At present, there are limited reports on definite diagnosis of myocarditis caused by SARS-CoV-2 in humans and limited demonstration of the virus in the myocardium. In conclusion, although the heart and the vessels are potential targets in COVID-19, there is currently limited evidence on the direct infection of the myocardium by SARS-CoV-2. Additional pathological studies and autopsy series will be very helpful to clarify the potentiality of COVID-19 to directly infect the myocardium and cause myocarditis.

https://heart.bmj.com/content/heartjnl/106/15/1127.full.pdf

COVID-19 pandemic and troponin: indirect myocardial injury, myocardial inflammation or myocarditis?

Systematic review of COVID-19 related myocarditis: Insights on management and outcome.

Cardiovascular Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Global Perspective.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is now a global pandemic with the highest number of affected individuals in the modern era. Not only is the infection inflicting significant morbidity and mortality, but there has also been a significant strain to the health care system and the economy. COVID-19 typically presents as viral pneumonia, occasionally leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and death. However, emerging evidence suggests that it has a significant impact on the cardiovascular (CV) system by direct myocardial damage, severe systemic inflammatory response, hypoxia, right heart strain secondary to ARDS and lung injury, and plaque rupture secondary to inflammation. Primary cardiac manifestations include acute myocarditis, myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, and abnormal clotting. Several consensus documents have been released to help manage CV disease during this pandemic. In this review, we summarize key cardiac manifestations, their management, and future implications.

/pdf/covid-19-pandemic-cardiovascular-complications-and-future-47znstqbbz.pdf

COVID-19 Pandemic: Cardiovascular Complications and Future Implications.

A 67-year-old woman presented with upper respiratory symptoms and was diagnosed with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). She was found to have a large hemorrhagic pericardial effusion wit...

Cardiac Tamponade Secondary to COVID-19.

SummaryWhat is known and objective
Outpatient parenteral therapy (OPAT) has become a safe and effective modality for patients requiring intravenous or prolonged antimicrobial therapy since the 1970s. It is being increasingly utilized in various settings; however, studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of clinic-based OPAT are limited. Since 2012, patients being considered for OPAT have required an infectious disease (ID) consultation at our institution. Candidates receiving once-daily antimicrobials who were ineligible for home infusion or nursing home placement as determined by their insurance companies and those who preferred the clinic over nursing home or home infusion were referred to the ID clinic. This study assessed the safety and outcome of patients receiving OPAT in an academic inner-city ID clinic in Detroit, Michigan.

Methods
This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of electronic medical records of patients, identified through clinic records, who received at least 2 days of OPAT from December 2012 to December 2015. Demographics, types of infections, antimicrobial regimen used, adverse events and outcome were evaluated.

Results
A total of 122 cases were identified during the study period. Mean age was 62 years with 55% male; 102 (84%) of 122 patients had peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC). Fifty-five per cent of patients participated in the clinic-based OPAT programme for insurance reasons, and 43% preferred the clinic over nursing home or home infusion. The most common infections were bone and joint (36%), followed by skin and soft tissue (18%) and urinary tract infections (12%). Ertapenem (44%) and daptomycin (41%) alone or in combination were used most frequently with 40% of patients receiving at least 4 weeks of treatment. Thirteen patients (11%) experienced one or more adverse drug events on daptomycin and/or ertapenem; of these, nine (69%) patients were receiving daptomycin monotherapy. Gastrointestinal symptoms (29%), cramping and myalgias (29%) and asymptomatic creatine phosphokinase (CPK) elevation (24%) were the most common adverse events. Three (3%) of 102 patients had PICC-related complications. Fourteen (88%) of 16 patients with adverse events or PICC-related complications required changing or stopping antibiotics; two (2%) had infection-related readmission. Conversely, 113 (93%) of 122 patients who completed treatment were considered cured and none had treatment failure at the end of 30 days of treatment. No patients died as a result of treatment or infection-related complications.

What is new and conclusion
Outpatient parenteral therapy in our academic ID clinic was a safe and effective alternative to home infusion or skilled nursing facilities for patients requiring long-term antibiotics with few adverse events and complications.

Safety and efficacy of outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy in an academic infectious disease clinic.

Daptomycin has been used with success for the treatment of right-sided methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) endocarditis. However, its efficacy has not been completely assessed for the treatment of MRSA endocarditis when it is associated with pulmonary septic emboli. Hereby, we present a case of MRSA mitral and tricuspid native valve endocarditis with pulmonary septic emboli, which was treated with daptomycin as a sole agent, resulting in worsening pulmonary infiltrates and treatment failure.

/pdf/daptomycin-failure-for-treatment-of-pulmonary-septic-emboli-88k55fknr5.pdf

Daptomycin Failure for Treatment of Pulmonary Septic Emboli in Native Tricuspid and Mitral Valve Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Endocarditis.

Importance Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) are frequently used to deliver intravenous antimicrobial therapy. However, inappropriate PICC use may lead to patient harm. Objective To evaluate whether infectious disease physician approval prior to PICC placement for intravenous antimicrobials is associated with more appropriate device use and fewer complications. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study of 21 653 PICCs placed for a primary indication of intravenous antimicrobial therapy between January 1, 2015, and July 26, 2019, was conducted in 42 hospitals participating in a quality collaborative across Michigan among hospitalized medical patients. Main Outcomes and Measures Appropriateness of PICCs was defined according to the Michigan Appropriateness Guide for Intravenous Catheters as a composite measure of (1) single-lumen catheter use, (2) avoiding use of PICCs for 5 days or less, and (3) avoiding use of PICCs for patients with chronic kidney disease (defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate <45 mL/min/1.73 m2). Complications related to PICCs included catheter occlusion, deep vein thrombosis, and central line-associated bloodstream infection. The association between infectious disease physician approval, device appropriateness, and catheter complications was assessed using multivariable models, adjusted for patient comorbidities and hospital clustering. Results were expressed as odds ratios with 95% CIs. Results A total of 21 653 PICCs were placed for intravenous antimicrobials (11 960 PICCs were placed in men [55.2%]; median age, 64.5 years [interquartile range, 53.4-75.4 years]); 10 238 PICCs (47.3%) were approved by an infectious disease physician prior to placement. Compared with PICCs with no documented approval, PICCs with approval by an infectious disease physician were more likely to be appropriately used (72.7% [7446 of 10 238] appropriate with approval vs 45.4% [5180 of 11 415] appropriate without approval; odds ratio, 3.53; 95% CI, 3.29-3.79; P < .001). Furthermore, approval was associated with lower odds of a PICC-related complication (6.5% [665 of 10 238] with approval vs 11.3% [1292 of 11 415] without approval; odds ratio, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.50-0.61). Conclusions and Relevance This cohort study suggests that, when PICCs were placed for intravenous antimicrobial therapy, infectious disease physician approval of PICC insertion was associated with more appropriate device use and fewer complications. Policies aimed at ensuring infectious disease physician approval prior to PICC placement for antimicrobials may improve patient safety.

/pdf/association-of-infectious-disease-physician-approval-of-182yojafrj.pdf

Association of Infectious Disease Physician Approval of Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter With Appropriateness and Complications.

Key Points Question Are antimicrobial stewardship interventions during transitions of care associated with improved prescribing of antimicrobials at hospital discharge? Findings In this quality improvement study of 800 patients, a pharmacist-driven intervention targeting antimicrobial prescribing at discharge was associated with higher frequency of optimal antimicrobial regimens compared with before the intervention. Patients in the postintervention group had similar rates of mortality, readmission, and clinical resolution and fewer severe antimicrobial-related adverse effects compared with the preintervention group. Meaning These findings suggest that hospitals can leverage resources toward antimicrobial stewardship during transitions of care to optimize antimicrobial therapy.

/pdf/pharmacist-driven-transitions-of-care-practice-model-for-1hxbczaa.pdf

Allison Weinmann

Papers

Cardiac Tamponade Secondary to COVID-19.

Safety and efficacy of outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy in an academic infectious disease clinic.

Daptomycin Failure for Treatment of Pulmonary Septic Emboli in Native Tricuspid and Mitral Valve Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Endocarditis.

Association of Infectious Disease Physician Approval of Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter With Appropriateness and Complications.

Pharmacist-Driven Transitions of Care Practice Model for Prescribing Oral Antimicrobials at Hospital Discharge