Variables
Our outcomes of interest were alteration in echocardiographic indices of
all four cardiac chambers, including the Left Ventricular (LV),
comprised of evaluating the 3D volumes, Ejection Fraction (EF), Stroke
Volume Index (SVI), Global Longitudinal Strain (GLS), Global
Circumferential Strain (GCS), Global Radial Strain (GRS), twist and
torsion, and The diastolic indexes, Right Ventricular (RV) anatomical
evaluation, including RV volumes, EF, and Fractional Area Change (FAC),
Peak basal systolic RV tissue velocity, RV function parameters (RVsm),
RV Free-Wall Global Longitudinal
Strains (RVFWGLS) and Peak Strain Rate (Peak SR), Tricuspid Annular
Plane Systolic Excursion (TAPSE), Left and Right Atrial evaluation (LA
and RA) for atrial peak strain rate and systolic Pulmonary Arterial
Pressure (sPAP) during the follow-up period. Normal ranges for
echocardiographic indices were all defined based on the 2015 ESC
Echocardiographic Cardiac Chamber Quantification guideline
(7).
Patient’s demographic data consists of age, Cardiovascular risk factors,
Body Surface Area (BSA), and laboratory findings at the time of
infection, including White Blood Cell (WBC) count, lymphocyte count, and
presence of anemia; defined as hemoglobin (Hb) level<12 gr/dl
in women and Hb level <13 gr/dl in men, and highly sensitive
CRP (hsCRP) level were also recorded.