Approximately two-thirds of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pneumonia present with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

COVID-19-associated acute cardiac injury is frequently reported based on troponin and electrocardiographic changes, but its impact on cardiac function is yet unknown.

Accordingly, we sought to describe cardiovascular phenotypes identified using transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in ventilated COVID-19 patients with ARDS and to compare them to those of patients with flu-induced ARDS.

All patients with confirmed COVID-19 who were mechanically ventilated for ARDS in our medical-surgical ICU underwent prospectively a TEE assessment during the first 3 days and whenever required by clinical events during ICU stay, as a standard of care.

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