Background Myocardial injury is frequent among patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) and is associated with a poor prognosis. However, the mechanisms of myocardial injury remain unclear and prior studies have not reported cardiovascular imaging data. Objectives This study sought to characterize the echocardiographic abnormalities associated with myocardial injury and their prognostic impact in patients with COVID-19. Methods We conducted an international, multicenter cohort study including 7 hospitals in New York City and Milan of hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who had undergone transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE) and electrocardiographic evaluation during their index hospitalization. Myocardial injury was defined as any elevation in cardiac troponin at the time of clinical presentation or during the hospitalization. Results A total of 305 patients were included. Mean age was 63 years and 205 patients (67.2%) were male. Overall, myocardial injury was observed in 190 patients (62.3%). Compared with patients without myocardial injury, those with myocardial injury had more electrocardiographic abnormalities, higher inflammatory biomarkers and an increased prevalence of major echocardiographic abnormalities that included left ventricular wall motion abnormalities, global left ventricular dysfunction, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction grade II or III, right ventricular dysfunction and pericardial effusions. Rates of in-hospital mortality were 5.2%, 18.6%, and 31.7% in patients without myocardial injury, with myocardial injury without TTE abnormalities, and with myocardial injury and TTE abnormalities. Following multivariable adjustment, myocardial injury with TTE abnormalities was associated with higher risk of death but not myocardial injury without TTE abnormalities. Conclusions Among patients with COVID-19 who underwent TTE, cardiac structural abnormalities were present in nearly two-thirds of patients with myocardial injury. Myocardial injury was associated with increased in-hospital mortality particularly if echocardiographic abnormalities were present.

After a median follow-up period of 17 months, PCI with new-generation drug-eluting stents was associated with an overall low rate of the composite endpoint of death, MI, or cerebrovascular accident.

Background Controversy exists over whether sex has significant interaction with revascularization strategy for unprotected left main coronary artery disease. Higher mortality has been reported among women treated with percutaneous coronary intervention compared with coronary artery bypass grafting. Methods and Results The DELTA (Drug‐Eluting Stents for Left Main Coronary Artery Disease) and DELTA‐2 registries are international, multicentric registries evaluating the outcomes of subjects undergoing coronary revascularization for unprotected left main coronary artery disease. The primary outcome was a composite of death, myocardial infarction, or cerebrovascular accidents. The population consisted of 6253 patients, including 1689 (27%) women. Women were older and more likely to have diabetes and chronic kidney disease than men ( P <0.05). At a median follow‐up of 29 months (interquartile range 12–49), a significant interaction between sex and revascularization strategy was observed for the primary end point (p int =0.012) and all‐cause death (p int =0.037). Among women, compared with percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass grafting was associated with lower risk of the primary end point (event rate 9.5% versus 15.3%; adjusted hazard ratio [AHR], 0.53; 95% CI, 0.35–0.79, P <0.001) and all‐cause death (event rate 5.6% versus 11.7% AHR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.30–0.82) and no significant differences were observed in men. Conclusions In women undergoing coronary revascularization for unprotected left main coronary artery disease, coronary artery bypass grafting was associated with lower risk of death, myocardial infarction, or cerebrovascular accidents whereas no significant differences between coronary artery bypass grafting and percutaneous coronary intervention were observed in men. Further dedicated studies are needed to determine the optimal revascularization strategy in women with unprotected left main coronary artery disease.

Fabry disease is a rare X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations in the GLA gene, leading to deficient α-galactosidase A activity and, consequently, to glycosphingolipid accumulation in a wide variety of cells. Fabry disease due to N215S (c.644A>G, p.Asn215Ser) missense mutation usually results in a late-onset phenotype presenting with isolated cardiac involvement. We herein present the case of a patient with N215S mutation with cardiac involvement, namely left ventricular hypertrophy and ventricular arrhythmias, and end-stage renal disease requiring kidney transplantation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a kidney-transplanted Fabry patient treated with oral pharmacologic chaperone migalastat.