Highly increased risk of arrhythmias after mechanical ventilation for COVID-19

Patients who survived severe COVID-19, requiring mechanical ventilation, were at increased risk for major arrhythmic events after hospital discharge. After adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors and socioeconomic factors, the results were maintained.

Dr Andreas Liliequist (Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden) and colleagues conducted a nationwide, case-control study, evaluating the occurrence of arrhythmias in patients with severe COVID-19 who required mechanical ventilation and were discharged from the hospital [1]. The study included 3,023 patients with severe COVID-19 who were treated with mechanical ventilation and 28,463 matched control participants. The primary outcome was hospitalisation for arrhythmia.

After a mean follow-up of 12 months and adjustment for covariates, the risks for ventricular tachycardia (HR 16.3; 95% CI 7.9–33.9), atrial fibrillation (HR 12.6), other tachyarrhythmias (HR 13.9), and bradycardia or pacemaker implantation (HR 8.6) were strongly increased in the COVID-19 group compared with the matched controls. According to the authors, these results imply that patients who were discharged from the hospital after mechanical ventilation for severe COVID-19 and have inherent risk factors for developing arrhythmias should be monitored closely.

1. 
   
   1. Liliequist A, et al. Surviving critical COVID-19 requiring mechanical ventilation is associated with a high long-term risk of de novo arrhythmic events. ePoster session 49, EHRA 2023, 16–18 April, Barcelona, Spain.

 

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Posted on 3 May 20233 May 2023