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Microorganisms
Special Issues
Cardiovascular Effects of Systemic Infections
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Cardiovascular Effects of Systemic Infections

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Medical Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 5520

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Roxana Mihaela Popescu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Cardiology, Elias Emergency University Hospital, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 011461 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: endothelial dysfunction; cardiovascular risk factors; prevention; myocardial regeneration; heart failure; COVID-19; preeclampsia
Dr. Anca Maria Panaitescu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 010164 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: fetal cardiac disease; coronavirus; cytomegalovirus; coxsackievirus; Toxoplasma gondii; flu viruses; HIV; rubella virus; Streptococcus; parvovirus B19; herpes virus
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Infectious diseases remain a major healthcare problem, and have a great impact on the cardiovascular system. In this context, there are major issues concerning implanted cardiac devices and cardiac valves. A wide range of patients have associated community-acquired or nosocomial infections. Once fixed on a valve surface, bacterial infections are difficult or even impossible to clear out, and have a high mortality rate, even with correctly conducted antibiotic therapy. It is important to aid the development of solutions for these patients, such as coatings and prosthetic materials that have antithrombotic and antimicrobial properties.

Moreover, infectious diseases in pregnancy continue to pose risks for both the mother and the fetus. This has recently resurfaced with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. This Special Issue aims to explore recent scientific advances in understanding the impact maternal infections can have during pregnancy on both maternal and fetal cardiovascular systems. Maternal immunological adaptations during pregnancy increase the vulnerability of maternal organs to infections. The placenta plays an important, yet not fully understood, role in relation to the possibility of fetal infection. Even less is known about how infections manifest during the fetal life, their effect on fetal cardiovascular physiology, what treatments should be used, and the potential long-term consequences. New drugs may be valuable for treating both the mother and the fetus. Vaccines given to the mother may offer protection against infections and protect the fetus and newborn in the first month of life.

This Special Issue aims to bring together researchers from the field of infectious diseases, maternal-fetal medicine and cardiovascular medicine. We welcome the submission of unpublished original studies, including fundamental and clinical research studies, observational and interventional studies, randomized controlled trials and reviews.

Dr. Roxana Mihaela Popescu
Dr. Anca Maria Panaitescu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • endocarditis
  • prosthetic valves
  • heart failure
  • therapeutic options
  • vaccines
  • prevention
  • consequences of pregnancy-related infections
  • maternal cardiac disease
  • COVID-19
  • fetal cardiac defects
  • fetal heart failure
  • cytomegalovirus
  • fetal cardiac disease
  • coronavirus
  • coxsackievirus
  • Toxoplasma gondii
  • flu virus
  • HIV
  • rubella virus
  • Streptococcus
  • parvovirus B19
  • herpes virus

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 722 KiB  
Article
Nosocomial Infections in Adult Patients Supported by Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in a Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
by Simone Mornese Pinna, Iago Sousa Casasnovas, María Olmedo, Marina Machado, Miriam Juàrez Fernández, Carolina Devesa-Cordero, Alicia Galar, Ana Alvarez-Uria, Francisco Fernández-Avilés, Jorge García Carreño, Manuel Martínez-Sellés, Francesco Giuseppe De Rosa, Silvia Corcione, Emilio Bouza, Patricia Muñoz and Maricela Valerio
Microorganisms 2023, 11(4), 1079; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11041079 - 20 Apr 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1313
Abstract
The use of venoarterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy (ECMO) in patients admitted to cardiac intensive care units (CICU) has increased. Data regarding infections in this population are scarce. In this retrospective study, we analyzed the risk factors, outcome, and predictors of in-hospital [...] Read more.
The use of venoarterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy (ECMO) in patients admitted to cardiac intensive care units (CICU) has increased. Data regarding infections in this population are scarce. In this retrospective study, we analyzed the risk factors, outcome, and predictors of in-hospital mortality due to nosocomial infections in patients with ECMO admitted to a single coronary intensive care unit between July 2013 and March 2019 treated with VA-ECMO for >48 h. From 69 patients treated with VA-ECMO >48 h, (median age 58 years), 29 (42.0%) patients developed 34 episodes of infections with an infection rate of 0.92/1000 ECMO days. The most frequent were ventilator-associated pneumonia (57.6%), tracheobronchitis (9.1%), bloodstream infections (9.1%), skin and soft tissue infections (9.1%), and cytomegalovirus reactivation (9.1%). In-hospital mortality was 47.8%, but no association with nosocomial infections was found (p = 0.75). The number of days on ECMO (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.01–1.30, p = 0.029) and noninfectious complications were higher in the infected patients (OR: 3.8 95% CI = 1.05–14.1). A higher baseline creatinine value (OR: 8.2 95% CI = 1.12–60.2) and higher blood lactate level at 4 h after ECMO initiation (OR: 2.0 95% CI = 1.23–3.29) were significant and independent risk factors for mortality. Conclusions: Nosocomial infections in medical patients treated with VA-ECMO are very frequent, mostly Gram-negative respiratory infections. Preventive measures could play an important role for these patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cardiovascular Effects of Systemic Infections)
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15 pages, 3713 KiB  
Article
Is SARS-CoV-2 Directly Responsible for Cardiac Injury? Clinical Aspects and Postmortem Histopathologic and Immunohistochemical Analysis
by George-Călin Oprinca, Lilioara-Alexandra Oprinca-Muja, Manuela Mihalache, Rares-Mircea Birlutiu and Victoria Birlutiu
Microorganisms 2022, 10(7), 1258; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10071258 - 21 Jun 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1699
Abstract
Myocardial injury in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection may be attributed to the presence of the virus at the cellular level, however, it may also be secondary to other diseases, playing an essential role in the evolution of the disease. We evaluated 16 patients [...] Read more.
Myocardial injury in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection may be attributed to the presence of the virus at the cellular level, however, it may also be secondary to other diseases, playing an essential role in the evolution of the disease. We evaluated 16 patients who died because of SARS-CoV-2 infection and analyzed the group from both clinical and pathological points of view. All autopsies were conducted in the Sibiu County morgue, taking into consideration all the national protocols for COVID-19 patients. Of the 16 autopsies we performed, two were complete, including an extensive examination of the cranial cavity. In our study, the cardiac injury was primarily cumulative. Chronic cardiac injuries included fatty infiltration of the myocardium in five cases, fibrosis in 11 cases, and coronary atherosclerosis in two cases. Among the cases with evidence of acute cardiovascular injuries, inflammatory lymphocytic infiltrate was observed in nine cases, subepicardial or visceral pericardial neutrophil-rich vascular congestion in five cases, and venous thrombosis in three cases. Acute ischemia or myocytic distress was identified by vacuolar degeneration in four cases; areas of undulated and/or fragmented myocardial fibers, with eosinophilia and nuclear pyknosis with or without enucleation of the myocytes in nine cases; and in one case, we observed a large area of myocardial necrosis. Immunohistochemical criteria confirmed the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 antigen at the level of the myocardium in only two cases. Comorbidities existing prior to SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with systemic and local inflammatory, thrombotic, hypoxic, or immunological phenomena influence the development of cardiac lesions, leading to death. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cardiovascular Effects of Systemic Infections)
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Review

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17 pages, 647 KiB  
Review
Increased Susceptibility for Thromboembolic Events versus High Bleeding Risk Associated with COVID-19
by Cristina Tudoran, Dana Emilia Velimirovici, Delia Mira Berceanu-Vaduva, Maria Rada, Florica Voiţă-Mekeres and Mariana Tudoran
Microorganisms 2022, 10(9), 1738; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10091738 - 29 Aug 2022
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 1751
Abstract
The infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus is associated with numerous systemic involvements. Besides the severe respiratory injuries and cardiovascular complications, it became obvious early on that this disease carries an increased risk of thromboembolic events, but a higher propensity for bleedings as well. [...] Read more.
The infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus is associated with numerous systemic involvements. Besides the severe respiratory injuries and cardiovascular complications, it became obvious early on that this disease carries an increased risk of thromboembolic events, but a higher propensity for bleedings as well. We researched the medical literature over significant PubMed published articles debating on the prevalence, category of patients, the moment of occurrence, and evolution of venous thromboembolism (VTE), but also of venous and arterial “in situ” thrombosis (AT), and hemorrhagic events as well. Most researchers agree on an increased prevalence of thromboembolic events, ranging between 25 and 31% for VTE, depending on the analyzed population. For AT and hemorrhagic complications lower rates were reported, namely, about 2–3%, respectively, between 4.8 and 8%, occurring mostly in older patients, suffering from moderate/severe forms of COVID-19, with associated comorbidities. It is important to mention that patients suffering from hemorrhages frequently received thromboprophylaxis with anticoagulant drugs. As a consequence of thromboembolic and hemorrhagic complications which are both important negative prognostic factors, the evolution of patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus is aggravated, determining an augmented morbidity and mortality of this population. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cardiovascular Effects of Systemic Infections)
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