Pulmonary embolism and cardiac tamponade in critical care patients with covid-19; telemedicine’s role in developing countries: Case reports and literature review

Abstract

Introduction: In this study, two cases that demonstrate the importance of bedside echocardiography and hands-off telemedicine technology for diagnosis and intervention in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are discussed. Case Presentation: We report two cases of cardiac emergency associated with COVID-19. Case 1 is a 50-year-old female patient with chronic hypertension and chronic renal failure. Case 2 is a 64-year-old female with atrial fibrillation and recent stroke. Both were admitted to an isolation intensive care unit that was designated specifically to patients with COVID-19. Conclusions: During admission, both patients had sudden deterioration characterized by oxygen desaturation and hypotension necessitating inotropic support. As a result, for both patients, bedside echocardiography was performed by the attending inten-sivist. Echocardiographic findings showed cardiac tamponade and acute pulmonary embolism, respectively, which were confirmed by a cardiologist through telemedicine technology. Proper emergency management was initiated, and both patients recovered well. Limited bedside transthoracic echocardiography had a front-line impact on the treatment and outcome of the two patients with COVID-19. By implementing telemedicine technology, the lives of two patients were saved, demonstrating the significance of telemedicine in isolation intensive care units in the developing countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.