November 19, 2020
Myocardial Injury in Adults Hospitalized With COVID-19
Circulation

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Using data from a large New York healthcare system, this retrospective, observational study examined the frequency of myocardial injury at admission and during hospitalization in adult patients with COVID-19. Of the 2163 patients who were eligible for inclusion, 30.7% had evidence of myocardial injury based on initial cTn measurement. Compared with other patients, those with myocardial injury were more likely to be male and were older. Additionally, patients with elevated cTn at initial measurement had higher in-hospital mortality rates compared with other patients (37.0% and 15.4%, respectively).
Compared with other patients, those with myocardial injury had a higher risk of critical injury (54.1% and 28.9%, respectively).
Of 796 patients for whom serial cTn measurements were available, 278 experienced acute myocardial infarction after a median of 3.6 days in the hospital.
Increased risk associated with elevated cTn followed a consistent pattern in patients with myocardial injury regardless of whether it was detected initially or during the hospital stay.

Based on these results, cTn measurements may be useful in identifying patients with COVID-19 at increased risk of complications and death and therefore may be useful in tailoring management and monitoring of these patients.