Varanasi Swathi, Sathyamoorthy Mohankrishnan, Chamakura Sanjayanth, Shah Sachin A
Medical Affairs, Flow Therapy, Fort Worth, USA.
Internal Medicine, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, USA.
Cureus. 2021 Sep 30;13(9):e18398. doi: 10.7759/cureus.18398. eCollection 2021 Sep.
A growing number of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 disease have been reported to have postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) after the acute phase. A 57-year-old female was diagnosed with COVID-19 in December 2020. As a result of her acute illness, she was hospitalized for COVID pneumonia and respiratory failure, followed by stays at an acute care facility and home rehabilitation center. After the acute phase, the patient was diagnosed with long-COVID-19-associated POTS with symptoms such as fatigue, "brain fog," and dyspnea. The patient was referred to an enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) treatment center and underwent 15, one-hour sessions over three weeks. Upon completion of therapy, the patient reported improvements with "brain fog" and the ability to perform activities of daily living. Her Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Fatigue score was reduced by three points, six-minute walk distance increased by 85 feet, and Duke Activity Status Index (DASI) improved by over 15 points. EECP therapy was chosen due to the overlap in underlying pathology driving POTS and the mechanisms of action of EECP. This report is the first case of using EECP for the successful management of COVID-19-associated POTS and warrants further trials.
据报道，越来越多被诊断为新冠肺炎的患者在急性期后出现体位性直立性心动过速综合征（POTS）。一名57岁女性于2020年12月被诊断为新冠肺炎。由于急性病，她因新冠肺炎和呼吸衰竭住院，随后在急性护理机构和家庭康复中心接受治疗。急性期过后，该患者被诊断为长新冠相关的POTS，出现疲劳、“脑雾”和呼吸困难等症状。该患者被转诊至增强型体外反搏（EECP）治疗中心，并在三周内接受了15次，每次一小时的治疗。治疗结束后，患者报告“脑雾”症状有所改善，日常生活活动能力提高。她的患者报告结局测量信息系统（PROMIS）疲劳评分降低了3分，6分钟步行距离增加了85英尺，杜克活动状态指数（DASI）提高了15分以上。选择EECP治疗是因为导致POTS的潜在病理与EECP的作用机制存在重叠。本报告是首例使用EECP成功治疗新冠相关POTS的病例，值得进一步试验。
