The ACC and the American Heart Association (AHA) Task Force on Clinical Data Standards published a report June 23 listing and defining key data elements related to cardiovascular and noncardiovascular complications of COVID-19. The data elements included in the document are meant to be applicable to the full range of care provided to patients with confirmed, probable and suspected acute COVID-19, as well as those with postacute sequelae, and are intended for use across ambulatory and hospital settings.

The new report also defines acute cardiovascular complications related to COVID-19, including acute myocardial injury, heart failure, shock, arrhythmia, thromboembolic complications and stroke, and provides data elements related to COVID-19 vaccination status, comorbidities and preexisting cardiovascular conditions. Additionally, data elements for cardiovascular mortality during acute COVID-19, and noncardiovascular complications (which can provide a fuller picture of the severity of illness) are also provided.

Other key highlights from the document include a listing of COVID-19 signs and symptoms, as well as defined data elements for diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Advanced therapies such as mechanical ventilation, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and end-of-life management are also addressed.

"These data standards will help standardize definitions and set the framework to capture and better understand how COVID-19 impacts cardiovascular health," write Biykem Bozkurt, MD, PhD, FACC, FAHA, et al. "This document is intended for use by researchers, registry developers, and clinicians and is proposed as a framework for ICD-10 code development of COVID-19-related cardiovascular conditions."

The report was endorsed by the Heart Failure Society of America and the Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions.

Clinical Topics: Arrhythmias and Clinical EP, COVID-19 Hub, Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathies, Prevention, Implantable Devices, SCD/Ventricular Arrhythmias, Atrial Fibrillation/Supraventricular Arrhythmias, Acute Heart Failure

Keywords: COVID-19, COVID-19, COVID-19 Vaccines, SARS-CoV-2, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, Respiration, Artificial, Vaccination, Patient Acuity, Heart Failure, Arrhythmias, Cardiac, Stroke, Dataset, Reference Standards

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