COVID-19 disease and cardiac events [COVID-19]
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An observational study of consecutive patients testing positive for COVID-19 who require admission to hospital to determine the degree of myocardial injury through biomarkers and echocardiography and the impact of this on cardiovascular outcomes. The COVId-19 disease and CARdiac Events study (COVICARE).
IRAS ID
283743
Contact name
Robin AP Weir
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHS Lanarkshire
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 14 days
Research summary
Research Summary
Patients hospitalised with COVID-19 are at risk of adverse outcomes including death. Many deaths are caused by cardiovascular complications. We do not fully understand the effects of COVID-19 on the heart, and there is urgent need to identify high risk patients on admission who are likely to suffer cardiovascular events. We therefore plan to enrol up to 100 consecutively admitted patients with COVID-19 and to look at blood samples that might allow us to predict those at the highest risk, as well as performing a heart scan (ultrasound - echocardiogram) that will allow us to determine if COVID-19 has affected the heart, and will provide useful information for the medical team caring for each patient. Finally we plan to observe clinical outcomes up to 30 days and to see if the blood/echo results help to predict outcomes. Ultimately, we hope to produce a simple model based on admission blood samples and a heart scan that will allow patients with COVID-19 to be labelled high versus not high risk of cardiovascular events including death.
Summary of Results
Heart muscle damage is common in COVID-19, and is defined as an elevation in a blood test called troponin. We looked at a more robust definition of heart muscke injury by adding in extra blood tests, an ECG and an echocardiogram (ultrasound exam of the heart). We found that if a COVID-19 patient had not only a high troponin level but also abnormlaities on their ECG and echo, a very high risk group of patients was identified who need closely monitored as high risk of adverse cardiac events. Our study therefore allowed enhance triaging of patients admitted with COVID-19 as it highlighted high risk patients.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1
REC reference
20/NS/0072
Date of REC Opinion
29 May 2020
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion