Adult Cardiovascular Surgery During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Retrospective Single Center Experience

Abstract

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), caused by a novel coronavirus, has become a worldwide pandemic. In order to control the global spread of this contagious disease, elective surgeries including cardiac and vascular procedures were postponed. In this article we present our experience during the initial phase of the pandemic in view of safety protocols. Material and Methods:The study included all elective, urgent, and emergent procedures that were performed from March 11, 2020 to June 30, 2021 at the department of cardiovascular surgery. Patients' demographics, preoperative COVID-19 (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) test results, surgical procedures, complications and outcomes were prospectively collected. We also developed our own protocol to proceed with our surgical activity without delay. Results: A total of 86 cardiac and vascular procedures were performed during the study period. The median age was 64 years (range 23-79), 59 (69%) were males. There were 42 (48%) elective procedures, and 13 (15%) patients had emergency procedures. 57 (66%) patients underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery. 10 (12%) patients underwent valvular procedures. Peripheral vascular surgeries were performed in 18 (21%) patients. The median length of stay in the hospital was 9 days (range 1-60). A positive COVID-19 test was identified in 4 patients, two of them were detected in the immediate postoperative period and died. In-hospital mortality was 9%. Conclusion: Cardiovascular procedures could be performed safely with a relatively low risk during the outbreak, particularly for elective patients with proper management and strict infection control and isolation protocols.