Cardiac considerations during COVID-19 pandemic; a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has a negative impact on the population and especially on those with chronic diseases like diabetes mellitus, hypertension, or heart conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the relation between COVID-19 infection and cardiac diseases. Also, the knowledge and perception of doctors toward the extra protective measures were assessed to put in consideration for those patients. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted through an online questionnaire, distributed among cardiac physicians in Saudi Arabia. The applied questionnaire included questions to determine the physician's demographical data such as gender, place of practice, specialty, and experience level. Results: The participants were fully aware of the effects of COVID-19 on cardiac patients. Around 85% of the physicians believed that COVID-19 could affect the heart. It was found that 77% and 59% of physicians believed that patients could have a higher risk of severe disease resulting from COVID-19 with hypertension and previous heart attack, respectively. Also, 93% of physicians believed that chronic cardiac patients who were COVID- 19 positive might show breathlessness, chest pain, and fatigue. When the participants were asked about anticoagulant therapy, it was found that 60% of physicians preferred to use a combination of anticoagulant drugs. All participants rated hand hygiene as an important preventive measure against COVID-19. Approximately 55% of participants were unfamiliar with the ministry of health (MOH) hand h ygiene guidelines. Conclusion: Saudi physicians have a higher percentage of knowledge about the relationship between cardiac diseases and COVID-19 infection but further studies must be conducted for more reliable results.