Assessment of Long-Term Sequelae of Pulmonary Dysfunction Associated with COVID-19 Using Pulmonary Pulse Transit Time.

Background: Studies report deleterious impacts of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 on multiple organs in the human body, not only in the acute infection period but also in the long-term sequelae. Recently defined pulmonary pulse transit time (pPTT) was found to be a useful parameter regarding the evaluation of pulmonary hemodynamics. The purpose of this study was to determine whether pPTT might be a favorable tool for detecting the long-term sequelae of pulmonary dysfunction associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Materials and methods: We evaluated 102 eligible patients with a prior history of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 hospitalization at least 1 year ago and 100 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. All participants' medical records and clinical and demographic features were analyzed and underwent detailed 12-lead electrocardiography, echocardiographic assessment, and pulmonary function tests.

Results: According to our study, pPTT was positively correlated with forced expiratory volume in the 1^st s, peak expiratory flow, and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (r = 0.478, P < 0.001; r = 0.294, P = 0.047; and r = 0.314, P = 0.032, respectively) as well as negatively correlated with systolic pulmonary artery pressure (r = -0.328, P = 0.021).

Conclusion: Our data indicate that pPTT might be a convenient method for early prediction of pulmonary dysfunction among COVID-19 survivors.