Abstract
COVID-19 has affected every aspect of life over the last year. This article reviews some of the effects that the pandemic had on cardiac surgery including volumes, ethical concerns with resource-intense procedures like dissection and transplant, and ECMO for COVID-19-derived refractory respiratory failure.
Highlights
As physicians are well aware, the coronavirus disease2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began affecting Americans with the infection and patients with pathologies requiring cardiac procedures
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database provided the data for a landmark analysis exploring the effects of COVID-19 on cardiac surgery volumes and outcomes
Dr Thomas Nguyen and colleagues[1] examined 2 large datasets asking the question of how COVID-19 affected cardiac surgery volumes and outcomes
Summary
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database provided the data for a landmark analysis exploring the effects of COVID-19 on cardiac surgery volumes and outcomes. The STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database provided risk-adjusted data from January 1, 2018, to June 30, 2020. The mid-Atlantic region (New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) assumed the greatest loss in case volume—a 71% decline. This region had historically performed better than expected with regard to outcomes. The effects of cancellation or delay of elective cardiac surgery procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic will never be completely known, but these data offer insights into how the pandemic disrupted and directly contributed to excess patient mortality from cardiovascular disease during this period
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