A landmark study conducted by Israeli researchers last month found that 40% of hospitalized coronavirus patients suffered cardiac damage on the right side.

The study, carried out by senior cardiologists at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv and pubished in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, found that right ventricular function was impaired in 40% of hospitalized coronavirus patients.

The study team evaluated 100 patients aged 18 and over who were hospitalized due to the coronavirus between March 21 and April 16 through echocardiographic imaging.

While 32% of the patients had a normal echocardiogram, 40% had evidence of cardiac damage, specifically impaired right ventricular function.

The study was the first in the world to use cardiac imaging to evaluate COVID-19’s effect on the heart instead of just laboratory tests.

A similar research study was carried out at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City between March 26 and April 22.

The research team reviewed the medical records of 105 patients hospitalized due to the coronavirus, all of whom had received an echocardiogram. Their results showed that 31% of patients had cardiac damage, specifically dilation of the right ventricle.

The study has been accepted for publication in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)