Table 3.
Vascular complications and pathology.
| Study | Total population | Hearts studied | Mean/range age (years) | Cardiac comorbidities | Mean time to death | Cardiac enlargement | Other findings | Cardiac interstitial fibrosis | Epicardial mononuclear infiltrate | Myocardial infarction | Elevated D-dimer | Neurological vascular lesions | Venous thromboembolism | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryce et al. [93] | 67 | 25 | 69 (range 34-94) | Hypertension (62.7%), coronary artery disease (31.3%), heart failure (14.9%), atrial fibrillation (13.4%) | 9.5 days (range 0-61) from admission | Left ventricular hypertrophy (100%) | Myocyte hypertrophy and interstitial fibrosis | 100% | 60% | — | 80.6% | Cerebral infarct (30%) | 6% | Intravascular fibrin thrombi (25%), CD61 platelet aggregates or thrombi (31%), large pulmonary emboli (6%) |
| Fox et al. [95] | 10 (African American) | 9 | Range 44-78 | Hypertension (70%), atrial fibrillation (10%), heart failure (10%) | 8.2 days (range 0-25) from admission; 11.6 days from symptom onset | Right ventricular dilation | Scattered myocyte necrosis; no significant lymphocytic infiltration | — | — | — | 90% | — | — | Small, firm thrombi in peripheral parenchyma (100%) |
| Tian et al. [121] | 4 | 2 | Range 59-81 | Hypertension (25%) | 15-52 days from disease onset | — | — | 100% | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Rapkiewicz et al. [100] | 7 | 4 | Range 44-65 | Hypertension (85%), coronary artery disease (14%) | 12.9 days (range 3-25) from symptom onset; mean 4.4 days from admission | — | Megakaryocytes with fibrin microthrombi in cardiac microvasculature (7/7) | — | 25% | 25% | 100% | — | — | Pulmonary arterial thrombi (57%), venous thrombosis (29%), CD61 platelet aggregates or thrombi (100%) |
| Bradley et al. [96] | 12 | 12 | 70.4 | — | 7 days (range 1-14) from symptom onset | — | Myocyte hypertrophy (12/12) | 83% | — | — | — | — | — | Subsegmental pulmonary emboli (17%) |
| Giacca et al. [102] | 41 | 30 | Male -77; female -84 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Cardiomyocyte damage suggestive of hypoxic injury (54%) | 24% | — | — | Pulmonary thrombosis (77%) |
| Edler et al. [97] | 80 | 80 | Mean 79.2 | Cardiomyopathy (11.25%), arrhythmia (1.25%), cardiac insufficiency (38.75%), atrial fibrillation (18.75%), hypertension (31.25%) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 40% | Pulmonary embolism (21%) |
| Lax et al. [94] | 11 | 11 | Mean 80.5 (range 66-91) | Hypertension (81.8%), coronary artery disease (27.27%) | 8.55 days (range 4-18) from symptom onset | Biventricular hypertrophy (100%), biventricular dilation (91%) | — | 90.90% | — | — | 86% | — | — | Pulmonary arterial thrombosis |
| Wichmann et al. [98] | 12 | 12 | Mean 73 (range 52-87) | Coronary/ischemic heart disease (50%) | — | Biventricular hypertrophy (25%) | — | — | — | 50% | 71% | — | 58% | Pulmonary embolism |