23 Nov 20. MEMORY-COVID study milestone

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MEMORY-COVID study aims

There is growing evidence that myocardial injury is seen in a large number of patients with COVID-19 infections. Although there have been cases of patients infected by COVID-19 presenting with heart failure, it remains unknown whether this is a result of:

• Myocarditis
• Stress cardiomyopathy
• Acute coronary syndrome
• Coronary heart disease
• Myocardial injury related to multi-organ failure.

As a result, the underlying mechanism, immediate treatment & long-term impact remains unknown.

More importantly, this will impact how the team manages patients in clinical practice. The study's outcomes will:

• Improve the team's understanding of the underlying mechanisms which lead to myocardial injury seen in patients infected with COVID-19, &
• Change patient management both during the acute COVID-19 infection & in the longer term.

Initial steps & study update

The initial steps of the Manganese-Enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of MyOcardial injuRY in COVID 19 (MEMORY- COVID) study, were to identify the cohort of patients that the team wanted to assess.

In this case the team were interested in the effect of COVID on the heart & therefore chose those who did & did not have evidence of heart damage.

The team initially started scanning at the Edinburgh Imaging Facility RIE & used the excellent facilities there during the initial period of lockdown.

They then subsequently moved the remaining scanning to the Edinburgh Imaging Facility QMRI, & have since finished scanning for the study there.

We asked Dr Trisha Singh, Clinical Research Fellow & MEMORY-COVID study PI, how scanning for the study went during the current pandemic:

It was lovely working with the EIF team especially given the current circumstances. They were efficient, helpful & were very supportive with scanning.

Dr Trisha Singh