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.