To examine the prevalence of coronary slow flow (CSF) in patients recovering from COVID-19 who present with unstable angina and have angiographically normal coronary arteries, using TIMI frame count assessments.
Key Findings:
CSF prevalence was significantly higher in the COVID (+) UA-NCA cohort (18.9%) compared to the COVID (–) UA-NCA cohort (5.3%), p = 0.003.
Corrected TFC measurements for LAD (26.1 ± 4.3 vs. 22.4 ± 2.6, p = 0.01), LCX (24.3 ± 4.5 vs. 21.7 ± 2.4, p < 0.001), and RCA (24.3 ± 4.5 vs. 21.4 ± 2.5, p < 0.001) were all significantly higher in the COVID (+) UA-NCA cohort.
Interpretation:
The findings suggest that a history of COVID-19 is associated with increased prevalence of coronary slow flow, indicating ongoing microvascular dysfunction, which may have significant clinical implications.
Limitations:
The study is retrospective and conducted at a single center, which may limit generalizability and introduce biases.
The sample size, while adequate, may not capture all variations in the population.
Conclusion:
The study highlights the need for clinical attention to microvascular dysfunction in patients with a history of COVID-19 presenting with unstable angina, and calls for further research in this area.
