Cardiac Arrhythmias in Patients with COVID-19: A Systematic review and Meta-analysis

Hamam, O.; Goda, A.; Eldalal, M.; Ussama, A.; Elmandouh, O.; Fahmy, M.; Elyamany, K.; Ikram, W.; Mahdy, A.; Bhandari, R.; Asal, H.; Egbe, A.

Background: Cardiac arrhythmia cannot be overlooked in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as it carries a great influence on the outcomes. Hence, this study aimed to build concrete evidence regarding the incidence of cardiac arrhythmia in patients with COVID-19. Methods: We performed a systematic search for trusted databases/search engines including PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane library and web of science. After screening, the relevant data were extracted and the incidences from the different included studies were pooled for meta-analysis. Results: Nine studies were finally included in our study consisting of 1445 patients. The results of meta-analysis showed that the incidence of arrhythmia in patients with COVID-19 was 19.7% with 95% confidence interval (CI) ranging from 11.7 to 27.6%. There was also a significant heterogeneity (I2 = 94.67%). Conclusion: Cardiac arrhythmias were highly frequent in patients with COVID-19 and observed in 19.7% of them. Appropriate monitoring by electrocardiogram with accurate and early identification of arrhythmias is important for better management and outcomes.