Shot Through the Heart—Can RSV Vaccination Reduce Risk of Cardiovascular Outcomes?

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes severe disease in older adults at rates similar to seasonal influenza, particularly among those with chronic heart and lung disease, including congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and bronchiolitis. Patients may present with signs and symptoms of viral pneumonia but commonly present with decompensated heart failure or COPD exacerbations, with RSV as the inciting event leading to worsening of their underlying disease. Recently, adults hospitalized with RSV have been shown to have a higher risk of invasive mechanical ventilation and death compared with those with influenza or COVID-19 who had received vaccination.