Cardiac arrhythmias

A study in Heart Rhythm lends insight into risks for arrhythmias in COVID-19 patients. Among 700 patients (over 70% Black) admitted to one Pennsylvania hospital, 53 arrhythmic events occurred: 9 cardiac arrests (all in the ICU), 25 atrial fibrillation (AF) events, 9 clinically significant bradyarrhythmias, and 10 non-sustained ventricular tachycardias (NSVTs). After multivariable adjustment, ICU admission was significantly associated with cardiac arrest (odds ratio, 4.7) and NSVT (OR, 8.9). Additionally, each 1-year increase in age was associated with incident AF, and prevalent heart failure was associated with bradyarrhythmias. Only cardiac arrest was an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality. The researchers conclude that “cardiac arrests and arrhythmias are likely the consequence of systemic illness and not solely the direct effect of COVID-19 infection.”

Cardiac arrhythmia study in Heart Rhythm