COVID-19 and Cardiac Arrhythmias: A Review of the Literature

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. There are many documented COVID-19-related cardiac complications, one of the most feared is arrhythmia. Many ongoing studies are evaluating the pathophysiology of COVID-19-induced arrhythmia. However, our knowledge about the exact mechanism of the latter is still limited. The underlying possible mechanisms could be related to direct or indirect endomyocardial tissue damage. It is also noted in several studies that cardiac arrhythmias are the consequence of systemic illness, proarrhythmic medications, and electrolytes imbalances in hospitalized patients and not solely the direct effects of COVID-19 infection. In this review article, we present the different aspects of arrhythmias in COVID patients, possible associated conditions, and triggers.