The Role and Implications of COVID-19 in Incident and Prevalent Heart Failure.

Purpose Of Review: This review examines the pathophysiological interactions between COVID-19 and heart failure, highlighting the exacerbation of heart failure in COVID-19 patients. It focuses on the complex mechanisms driving worse outcomes in these patients.

Recent Findings: Patients with pre-existing heart failure experience more severe symptoms and higher mortality rates due to mechanisms such as cytokine storms, myocardial infarction, myocarditis, microvascular dysfunction, thrombosis, and stress cardiomyopathy.

Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety Among Medical Students and House Staff During the COVID-19 Health-Care Crisis.

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of anxiety and depression among medical trainees during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of the prevalence of depression and anxiety among medical students, residents, and fellows at a medical university hospital in New York using self-reported PHQ-9 and GAD-7 screening tools administered via an anonymized survey. The study was conducted in April 2020.

Nitrofurantoin-Associated Acute Granulomatous Interstitial Nephritis.

We report the case of a 71-year-old female who was incidentally found to have nonoliguric acute kidney injury on a routine workup for new-onset visual hallucination. Further history revealed inadvertent usage of nitrofurantoin for 3 months for an anticipated urological procedure. Renal biopsy demonstrated acute granulomatous interstitial nephritis.

Transient Cardiomyopathy in a Patient With Coronavirus Disease-2019.

A 66-year-old male patient with coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) developed cardiogenic shock with echocardiographic evidence of decreased left ventricular ejection fraction and global hypokinesia concomitant with a robust systemic inflammatory response. Following the administration of convalescent plasma therapy and inotropic support, left ventricular function recovered fully in accordance with the decrease in the concentration of the inflammatory markers. Thus, we demonstrate the presence of transient reversible cardiomyopathy in a patient with severe COVID-19 and illustrate the association of acute cardiac dysfunction with profound systemic inflammation among COVID-19 patients.

Prolonged QT Interval in a Patient With Coronavirus Disease-2019: Beyond Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin.

Recent reports have suggested an increased risk of QT prolongation and subsequent life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias, particularly torsade de pointes, in patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) treated with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin. In this article, we report the case of a 75-year-old female with a baseline prolonged QT interval in whom the COVID-19 illness resulted in further remarkable QT prolongation (>700 ms), precipitating recurrent self-terminating episodes of torsade de pointes that necessitated temporary cardiac pacing. Despite the correction of hypoxemia and the absence of reversible factors, such as adverse medication effects, electrolyte derangements, and usage of hydroxychloroquine/azithromycin, the QT interval remained persistently prolonged compared with the baseline with subsequent degeneration into ventricular tachycardia and death.

A Review of Acute Myocardial Injury in Coronavirus Disease 2019.

In December 2019, an outbreak of pneumonia caused by a novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), occurred in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, and it has spread rapidly across the world, causing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Although SARS-CoV-2 infection predominantly results in pulmonary issues, accumulating evidence suggests the increased frequency of a variety of cardiovascular complications in patients with COVID-19. Acute cardiac injury, defined as elevated cardiac troponin levels, is the most reported cardiac abnormality in COVID-19 and strongly associated with mortality.

Hughes Stovin Syndrome, a Rare Form of Behcet's Disease Presenting as Recurrent Intracardiac Thrombus.

Hughes Stovin syndrome (HSS) is a particularly rare disease characterized by multiple pulmonary artery and/or bronchial artery aneurysms with concomitant peripheral venous thrombosis and is believed to be a cardiovascular variant of Behcet's disease. Intracardiac thrombus occurring as a thrombotic manifestation of HSS is an unusual presentation and represents a challenge in diagnosis and treatment. Here we report a 25-year-old male presenting with recurrent right-sided intracardiac thrombi, in whom pulmonary artery aneurysm was later detected in the clinical course corroborating the diagnosis of HSS and leading to appropriate initiation of immunosuppressive agents.

A Rare Case of Lemierre's Syndrome Caused by Streptococcus Intermedius, Presenting as an Epidural Abscess.

Lemierre's syndrome is a rare but life-threatening condition characterized by an oropharyngeal infection typically secondary to Fusobacterium necrophorum resulting in septic thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein. Streptococcus intermedius is a particularly rare cause of Lemierre's syndrome with only a few cases reported in the literature. Here we describe a rare case of Lemierre's syndrome, caused by Streptococcus intermedius, likely secondary to an odontogenic infection, found to have a cervical epidural abscess with concomitant large retropharyngeal and prevertebral abscesses on presentation, in whom the clinical course was further complicated by an extensive cerebral venous sinus thrombosis.