Data Elements, Definitions for COVID-19 Complications Detailed

MONDAY, June 27, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- The lexicon of cardiovascular complications related to COVID-19 infection has been standardized by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association and published online June 23 in Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Biykem Bozkurt, M.D., Ph.D., from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, and colleagues present data standards for health care professionals regarding cardiovascular and other complications related to COVID-19 infection.

The authors present a clinical lexicon comprising data elements related to cardiovascular and noncardiovascular complications of COVID-19. COVID-19-related acute cardiovascular complications are defined, including acute myocardial injury, heart failure, shock, arrhythmia, thromboembolic complications, and stroke. Data elements are further defined for COVID-19 diagnoses; postacute sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2); COVID-19 vaccination status, comorbidities, and preexisting cardiovascular complications; postacute cardiovascular sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection and long-term cardiovascular complications of COVID-19; and cardiovascular mortality during acute COVID-19. To help document severity of illness and other competing diagnoses and complications that may affect cardiovascular outcomes, data elements are also provided for noncardiovascular complications.

"To understand and compare care patterns and outcomes, the data elements that characterize them must be clearly defined, consistently used, and properly interpreted," the authors write.

One author and several reviewers disclosed financial ties to industry.

Abstract/Full Text