BCI specialists are coauthors of an international textbook on COVID-19

At the end of the second year since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the international scientific community has released the textbook “Fighting the COVID-19 Pandemic”, which brings together the most up-to-date knowledge, experience and strategies in the fight against the virus and its effects on the human body. Specialists from the research team of the Bulgarian Cardiac Institute areparticipating with the key chapter “Post-COVID-19 conditions and the cardiovascular system” – an area in which the doctors from ‘Heart and Brain Center of Clinical Excellence’ in Pleven and Burgas already have widely established scientific and practical experience.

Abstract:

One out of four patients affected by COVID-19 will experience persistent (>3-4 weeks) signs and symptoms (Post COVID-19 conditions or Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 – PASC) and this fact will have a major significance for the healthcare and economic systems in the upcoming years. The cardiovascular system is one of the key targets for the Post COVID-19 syndrome, given the pathogenesis of the virus and prevalence of ACE-2 receptors. According to our initial personal experience via the campaign “Life after COVID” of the Bulgarian Cardiac Institute, a substantial proportion of patients having suffered from COVID-19 develop long-term cardiovascular consequences. They could range from rhythm disorder and blood pressure variation, through impairment of myocardial mechanics and heart failure, and to acute vascular manifestations of Post COVID-19 conditions, such as acute coronary syndrome, acute pulmonary embolism, and acute limb ischemia. These cardiovascular complications require special and dedicated medical attention, and we could share our personal experience on the matter.

Read the full chapter here.