Newswise — Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center’s Heart and Vascular Hospital is enrolling patients in a study to treat Long COVID-19 Syndrome.  Patients with shortness of breath, fatigue and rapid beating of the heart (tachycardia) will be treated with a specifically designed regimen of beta blockers, a commonly used class of drugs that can lower stress on the heart and blood vessels.  The response to this commonly used medication will be monitored with exercise and echocardiographic testing.  Close patient follow up will be provided by members of the division of cardiology at Hackensack University Medical Center.  

The treatment study’s lead investigator David B. Landers, M.D., FACC, FSCAI, vice chair, Heart and Vascular Hospital and executive director, Cardiovascular Partners, at the academic medical center, presented a research study, in which he was also the lead investigator, at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in November 2021.  

The study “Prospective Analysis of Vascular Resistance in Patients with Persistent Tachycardia and or Dyspnea on Exertion in the Post Acute Sequela of Covid-19 Syndrome,” showed that some Long COVID-19 patients may have disruptions in the regulation of blood vessel size and caliber.  As such the resistance may at times be inappropriately high which makes it more difficult for the heart to pump blood throughout the body.  This diminished blood flow can produce shortness of breath, fast heart rates, fatigue and chest pain.

Interested persons, who have had COVID-19 and are experiencing shortness of breath, fatigue and rapid beating of the heart (tachycardia), should contact Jana Tancredi, R.N., MA/MSN, CCRN, research nurse coordinator, at 551-996-2353.

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Hackensack University Medical Center, a 771-bed nonprofit teaching and research hospital, is the largest provider of inpatient and outpatient services in New Jersey. Founded in 1888 as Bergen County's first hospital, it was the first hospital in New Jersey and second in the nation to become a Magnet®-recognized hospital for nursing excellence. The academic flagship of Hackensack Meridian Health, Hackensack University Medical Center's campus is home to facilities such as John Theurer Cancer Center, the Heart & Vascular Hospital, and the Sarkis and Siran Gabrellian Women’s and Children’s Pavilion. Recognized as being in the top 1% of hospitals in the nation and #1 in New Jersey by U.S. News & World Report’s 2021-22 "Best Hospitals" Honor Roll, Hackensack University Medical Center also ranked as high-performing in cancer care, cardiology and heart surgery, gastroenterology and GI surgery, geriatrics, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology, and urology. Hackensack University Medical Center’s comprehensive clinical research portfolio includes studies focused on precision medicine, translational medicine, immunotherapy, cell therapy, and vaccine development.