Left and right ventricular longitudinal strains are associated with poor outcome in COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess whether ventricular longitudinal strain can be used as a prognostication tool in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: Systematic literature searches of PubMed, Embase, and EuropePMC databases were performed on 16 November 2020. Left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LV-GLS) refers to LV contraction measurement using the speckle tracking-based method refers to the mean of strain values of the RV free wall (three segments) measured using echocardiography. The main outcome was poor outcome, defined as a composite of mortality and severe COVID-19. RESULTS: Seven studies comprising of 612 patients were included in meta-analysis. Six studies have mortality as their outcome, and 1 study has severity as their outcome. Patients with poor outcome have lower LV-GLS (SMD 1.15 (0.57, 1.72), p < 0.001; I(2) 70.4%). Each 1% decrease in LV-GLS was associated with 1.4x increased risk of poor outcome (OR 1.37 (1.12, 1.67), p = 0.002; I(2) 48.8%). Patients with poor outcome have lower RV-LS (SMD 1.18 (0.91, 1.45), p < 0.001; I(2) 0%). Each 1% decrease in RV-LS was associated with 1.3x increased risk of poor outcome (OR 1.25 (1.15, 1.35), p < 0.001; I(2) 11.8%). Subgroup analysis showed that for every 1% decrease in LV-GLS and RV-LS is increased mortality with OR of 1.30 (1.12, 1.50) and OR of 1.24 (1.14, 1.35), respectively. CONCLUSION: This study shows that lower LV-GLS and RV-LS measurements were associated with poor outcome in patients with COVID-19. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42020221144