tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Arch Pathol Lab Med
. 2022 Feb 14.
doi: 10.5858/arpa.2021-0435-SA. Online ahead of print.
Autopsy Histopathologic Cardiac Findings in Two Adolescents Following the Second COVID-19 Vaccine Dose
James R Gill[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Randy Tashjian[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Emily Duncanson[SUP] 5 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Context: - Myocarditis in adolescents has been diagnosed clinically following the administration of the second dose of an mRNA vaccine for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Objective: - To examine the autopsy microscopic cardiac findings in adolescent deaths that occurred shortly following administration of the second Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 dose to determine if the "myocarditis" described in these instances has the typical histopathology of myocarditis.
Design: - Clinical and autopsy investigation of two teenage boys who died shortly following administration of the second Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 dose.
Results: - The microscopic examination revealed features resembling a catecholamine-induced injury, not typical myocarditis pathology.
Conclusions: - The myocardial injury seen in these post-vaccine hearts is different from typical myocarditis and has an appearance most closely resembling a catecholamine-mediated stress (toxic) cardiomyopathy. Understanding that these instances are different from typical myocarditis and that cytokine storm has a known feedback loop with catecholamines may help guide screening and therapy.
. 2022 Feb 14.
doi: 10.5858/arpa.2021-0435-SA. Online ahead of print.
Autopsy Histopathologic Cardiac Findings in Two Adolescents Following the Second COVID-19 Vaccine Dose
James R Gill[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Randy Tashjian[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Emily Duncanson[SUP] 5 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35157759
- DOI: 10.5858/arpa.2021-0435-SA
Abstract
Context: - Myocarditis in adolescents has been diagnosed clinically following the administration of the second dose of an mRNA vaccine for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Objective: - To examine the autopsy microscopic cardiac findings in adolescent deaths that occurred shortly following administration of the second Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 dose to determine if the "myocarditis" described in these instances has the typical histopathology of myocarditis.
Design: - Clinical and autopsy investigation of two teenage boys who died shortly following administration of the second Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 dose.
Results: - The microscopic examination revealed features resembling a catecholamine-induced injury, not typical myocarditis pathology.
Conclusions: - The myocardial injury seen in these post-vaccine hearts is different from typical myocarditis and has an appearance most closely resembling a catecholamine-mediated stress (toxic) cardiomyopathy. Understanding that these instances are different from typical myocarditis and that cytokine storm has a known feedback loop with catecholamines may help guide screening and therapy.