covid icu patients 10 times more likely to develop an irregular heartbeat

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the virus not only impacts the lungs and increases risk of blood clots, it can also affect heart rhythm.

by diana duong

published jun 23, 2020

last updated feb 24, 2025

3 minute read

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3 minute read

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icu covid-19 patients 10x more likely to develop cardiac arrhythmia

a sheet of abnormal electrocardiography, ecg, atrial fribillation

cardiac arrests and arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats) in covid-19 icu patients are likely triggered by a severe form of the heart disease
infection, inflammation and illness likely contribute to cardiac arrest and arrhythmias
earlier studies showed 44 per cent of critically ill covid-19 patients had arrhythmias

covid-19 patients who have been admitted to an intensive care unit are 10 times more likely to suffer from cardiac arrest or heart rhythm disorders than other hospitalized covid-19 patients, according to a new study published in the heart rhythm journal.

researchers from perelman school of medicine at the university of pennsylvania found that cardiac arrests and arrhythmias are likely triggered by a severe, systemic form of heart disease â€” and not necessarily the sole consequence of the viral infection.

the novel coronavirus, which predominantly affects the lungs, has been reported to increase risk of blood clots. this latest research adds to a growing body of evidence that it affects heart rhythm.

another study published in may described four patient cases of cardiac arrhythmia in covid-19 patients admitted to new york-presbyterian/columbia university irving medical center. they included high grade atrioventricular block, atrial fibrillation, polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, and cardiogenic shock and pulseless electrical activity arrest.

earlier studies from china have also suggested covid-19 is associated with a high incidence of cardiac arrhythmias, especially in critically ill patients. that study reported 44 per cent of individuals with severe illness had arrhythmias.

in this study, researchers looked at 700 patients with covid-19 who were admitted to the hospital of the university of pennsylvania between early march and mid-may. the average age of patients was 50 years, and black patients made up more than 70 per cent of the cohort.

they found a total of 53 cardiac events: nine patients suffered cardiac arrest, 25 patients with atrial fibrillation who required treatment, nine patients with clinically significant bradyarrhythmias and 10 non-sustained ventricular tachycardia events. the team did not identify any cases of heart block, sustained ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation.

this study provides more insight into the role of covid-19 in the development of arrhythmias, including an irregular heart rate (atrial fibrillation), slow heart rhythms (bradyarrhythmia) or a rapid heart rate that stops by itself within 30 seconds (non-sustained ventricular tachycardia).

heart rhythm issues happen when the electrical impulses that coordinate heartbeats don’t work properly> it can cause your heart to beat too fast, too slow, or irregularly. if left untreated, cardiac arrhythmias can lead to serious medical conditions, including stroke and cardiac arrest.

“in order to best protect and treat patients who develop covid-19, it’s critical for us to improve our understanding of how the disease affects various organs and pathways within our body â€” including our heart rhythm abnormalities,” said senior author dr. rajat deo, a cardiac electrophysiologist and an associate professor of cardiovascular medicine at penn, in a statement.

“our findings suggest that non-cardiac causes such as systemic infection, inflammation and illness are likely to contribute more to the occurrence of cardiac arrest and arrhythmias than damaged or infected heart cells due to the viral infection.”

“more research is needed to assess whether the presence of cardiac arrhythmias have long-term health effects on patients who were hospitalized for covid-19,” says deo.

“in the meantime, it’s important that we launch studies to evaluate the most effective and safest strategies for long-term anticoagulation and rhythm management in this population.”

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