Critically Ill Patients with Variable Heart Failure in Severe COVID-19 Disease: A Case Series

COVID-19 disease, while primarily a respiratory disease, has proven itself a multi-system disorder with profound cardiovascular sequelae. In patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection, effective early diagnosis and management of concomitant cardiovascular manifestations of the disease are key to favorable outcomes. Here we present a case series of three patients with varied cardiovascular presentations of severe COVID-19 illness: cardiogenic shock from Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia in a patient with suspected hydroxychloroquine-associated cardiomyopathy, and right-sided heart failure with obstructive shock in the setting of massive pulmonary embolism. Through our experience, we aim to provide a better understanding of the unique spectrum of the cardiovascular effects of severe COVID-19 disease to guide management of the critically ill.