Single Center Experience in Vascular and Endovascular Surgery during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Walking on the Icy Road

Abstract

Background: Along with other areas of specialization, the cardiovascular surgery clinic is a department that has a significant contribution to the COVID-19 pandemic process with both the management of vascular emergencies and the rapid and effective use of interventional methods. This study aims to present endovascular and open vascular surgical procedures performed in single center between March 2020 and December 2020 during the ongoing pandemic. Materials and methods: A total of 230 patients underwent open surgery 60 patients and endovascular / interventional treatment 170 patients by the Cardiovascular Surgery clinic were included in the study. It was aimed to determine the procedural details of the patients, follow-up results, complications and mortality rates. The compatibility of the variables to normal distribution was examined using visual and analytical methods. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to check the normal distribution of continuous variables. Results: In the open vascular surgery group, the mean age was 51.4±23.2 years (range 12–90 years). Sixteen (26.7%) patients were female and 44 (73.3%) male. The median follow-up from the time of the open vascular procedure was 4.3±1.2 months. There were ten (16.7%) minor complications. There were five deaths after procedures. In the endovascular / interventional group, the mean age was 58.5±18.6 years (range 18–94 years). Ninety one (53.5%) patients were female and 79 (46.5%) male. The median follow-up from the time of the drug-eluting balloon angioplasty and pharmacomechanical thrombectomy patients were 4.0±1.1 months. There were thirty four (20%) minor complications and two deaths after procedures. Conclusion: Our experience and successful results shows how surgical and interventional procedures participated in the care of hospitalized COVID-19 patients during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.