• Andrea Denegri, Giuseppe Pezzuto, Matteo D'Arienzo, Marianna Morelli, Fulvio Savorani, Carlo G Cappello, Antonio Luciani, and Giuseppe Boriani.
• Cardiology Division, Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Modena, Largo del Pozzo, 71, 41125, Modena, Italy. denegri.andrea@aou.mo.it.
• Intern Emerg Med. 2021 Sep 1; 16 (6): 1451-1456.

BackgroundThe aim of the present study was to compare clinical and electrocardiographic characteristics of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia in Modena, Emilia Romagna, Italy.MethodsPatients admitted to the emergency department for suspected COVID-19 pneumonia from March the 16th to April the 15th were enrolled in the study. COVID-19 pneumonia was confirmed by positive nasopharyngeal swab. Primary endpoint was 30-day mortality.Results201 patients were diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia. Compared to survivors, patients who died were older (79.7 ± 10.8 vs 65.6 ± 14.1, p < 0.001), with a more complex cardiovascular history, including coronary artery disease (CAD, 33.3% vs 13.3%, p = 0.004), atrial fibrillation (23.8 vs 8.8, p = 0.011) and chronic kidney disease (CKD 35.7% vs 7.0%, p < 0.001). 30-day mortality was 20,9% in these patients; atrial fibrillation (OR 12.74, 95% CI 3.65-44.48, p < 0.001), ST-segment depression (OR 5.30, 95% CI 1.50-18.81, p = 0.010) and QTc-interval prolongation (OR 3.17, 95% CI 1.24-8.10, p = 0.016) at ECG admission were associated to an increased mortality risk. On the contrary, sinus rhythm (OR 0.08, 95% CI 0.02-0.27, p < 0.001) and low-molecular weight heparin (LMWH) administration (OR 0.08, 95% CI 0.02-0.29, p < 0.001) were related to reduced mortality. At multivariate analysis, after adjustment for age, sex, diabetes, CAD, and MCA admission, sinus rhythm (HR 2.7, CI 95% 1.1-7.0, p = 0.038) and LMWH (HR 8.5, 95% CI 2.0-36.6, p = 0.004) were confirmed to be independent predictors of increased survival.ConclusionSinus rhythm at ECG admission in COVID-19 pneumonia patients was associated with greater survival as well as LMWH administration, which conferred an overall better outcome.© 2021. Società Italiana di Medicina Interna (SIMI).

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