The impact of COVID‐19 pandemic on congenital heart surgery practice: An alarming change in demographics

Korun, Oktay; Yurdakök, Okan; Arslan, Akın; Çiçek, Murat; Selçuk, Arif; Kılıç, Yiğit; Altin, Hüsnü Fırat; Şaşmazel, Ahmet; Aydemir, Numan Ali

doi:10.1111/jocs.14914

Cited by 16 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 11 publications

(12 reference statements)

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“…Studies have reported up to 61% fall in cardiac surgeries during COVID-19 as compared to similar time during previous year [8]. Korun et al, from Turkey, report congenital cardiac surgery reduction during the pandemic to 2/3 of that during the preceding year [9].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Changing Pattern of Congenital Heart Disease Care During COVID-19 Pandemic

et al. 2021

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Objective To study the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the utilization of pediatric cardiac care services and to determine the role of teleconsultation services in delivering healthcare in this subset of population. Methods It was a retrospective, observational study. All children who attended pediatric cardiology outpatient/teleconsultation services or were admitted to pediatric cardiology ward between

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Changing Pattern of Congenital Heart Disease Care During COVID-19 Pandemic

et al. 2021

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“…The novel coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic at the end of 2019 has imposed an enormous burden on healthcare systems and due to human mobility restrictions, patient referrals to reference centers became difficult and the number of referrals decreased dramatically. [ 5 ] It has become necessary to build our intensive care modality as soon as possible. In patients requiring speeding up the process, it was decided to establish a separate compartment inside the existing neonatal ICU where patients undergoing congenital heart surgery can be followed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is arterial switch operation possible with neonatology-focused intensive care unit modality

Doyurgan¹,

Özdemir²,

Akdeniz³

et al. 2021

Turk Gogus Kalp Dama

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Background: In this study, we aimed to examine the feasibility of arterial switch operation and its perioperative management with neonatology-focused intensive care modality in a region of Turkey where the birth rate and the number of asylum seekers who had to leave their country due to regional conflicts are high. Methods: Between December 2017 and June 2020, a total of 57 patients (48 males, 9 females; median age: 12.2 days; range, 2 to 50 days) who were diagnosed with transposition of the great arteries in our clinic and underwent arterial switch operation were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were followed by the neonatologist in the neonatal intensive care unit during the preoperative and postoperative period. Results: Thirty-eight (66.7%) patients had intact ventricular septum, 16 (28.1%) had ventricular septal defect, two (3.5%) had coarctation of the aorta, and one (1.7%) had Taussig-Bing anomaly. Coronary artery anomaly was present in 14 (24.5%) patients. The most common complications in the intensive care unit were renal failure requiring peritoneal dialysis in seven (12.3%) patients, supraventricular tachyarrhythmia in six (10.5%) patients, and eight (14%) patients left their chests open. The median length of stay in intensive care unit was 13.8 (range, 9 to 25) days and the median length of hospital stay was 24.5 (range, 16 to 47) days. The overall mortality rate for all patients was 12.3% (n=7). The median follow-up was 8.2 months. A pulmonary valve peak Doppler gradient of ≥36 mmHg was detected in five patients (8.7%) who were followed, and these patients were monitored by providing medical treatment. None of the patients needed reoperation or reintervention. Conclusion: We believe that arterial switch operation, one of the complex neonatal cardiac surgery, can be performed with an acceptable mortality and morbidity rate with the use of neonatology-focused intensive care modality, which is supported by pediatric cardiology and pediatric cardiac surgery.

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“…Additionally, pediatric CHD surgeries were equally affected. In two separate studies evaluating the effect of COVID-19 on CHD surgeries, the number of surgeries performed https://doi.org/10.1017/S1047951121002754 during 2020 was almost equal to half the number performed during the pre-COVID-19 years 9,10 . Moreover, owing to the increased quest for healthcare services, the suspension of nonemergent and essential surgeries is perceived as a necessity that should be employed at any point during the course of the pandemic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In light of the above, several congenital heart disease centers recommended adopting a patient triage that is based on surgical urgency and necessity. This triage can decrease the risk of COVID-19 transmission and ensure the delivery of emergent medical care to all patients, especially in the current era of limited medical resources 9,12,13 . It can provide an effective and just distribution of the available resources among COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pre-operative assessment of pediatric congenital heart disease patients in the COVID-19 era: lessons learned

et al. 2021

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Background: Equal to COVID-19 patients, non-COVID-19 patients are affected by the medical and social drawbacks of the COVID-19 pandemic. A significant reduction in elective life-changing surgeries has been witnessed in almost all affected countries. This study discusses an applicable and effective pre-operative assessment protocol that can be applied during the COVID-19 era. Methods: Our study is a descriptive retrospective observational study that involves pediatric patients with CHD requiring open heart surgeries at our tertiary care center between March and November 2020. We reviewed the charts of eligible patients aged 18 years and below. We identified the total numbers of scheduled, performed, and postponed surgeries, respectively. A thorough description of the clinical and physical presentation of the postponed cases, who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, is provided. Results: 68 open heart surgeries were scheduled at our center between March and November 2020. Three surgeries (4%) were postponed due to COVID-19. The three patients were asymptomatic COVID-19 cases detected on routine SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing. No symptoms of cough, chest pain, dyspnea, rhinorrhea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, anosmia, and ageusia were reported by our patients. All patients were afebrile and hemodynamically stable. Owing to the pre-operative assessment protocol that was implemented after the first case was detected, only three healthcare workers were at risk of COVID-19 transmission and were imposed to infectious evaluation and home quarantine. Conclusion: Adopting our discussed preoperative COVID-19 assessment protocol for CHD patients is an effective method to detect COVID-19 infections, optimize patient care, and ensure healthcare workers’ safety.

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The impact of COVID‐19 pandemic on congenital heart surgery practice: An alarming change in demographics

Cited by 16 publications

References 11 publications

Changing Pattern of Congenital Heart Disease Care During COVID-19 Pandemic

Changing Pattern of Congenital Heart Disease Care During COVID-19 Pandemic

Is arterial switch operation possible with neonatology-focused intensive care unit modality

Pre-operative assessment of pediatric congenital heart disease patients in the COVID-19 era: lessons learned

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