Transcatheter aortic valve implantation during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Clinical expert opinion and consensus statement for Asia

Electrophysiology and Interventional Cardiology Procedure Volumes During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

“…While experience from the UK showed no significant decline 3 , a survey from Asia showed a 25% reduction in case volume due to the pandemic. 11 …”

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation amid the COVID-19 pandemic: a nationwide analysis of the first COVID-19 wave in the Netherlands

“…Multiple position statements have been published on when to perform TAVI for symptomatic severe AS amid the COVID-19 crisis [ 6 – 9 ]. However, the risks of adverse events caused by postponement of these interventions should be balanced against the risks of contracting COVID-19 when hospitalised for this high-risk cardiovascular intervention [ 10 ].…”

Stress-testing interventional cardiology organization to streamline procedures during COVID-19 pandemic, and beyond

“…In this context, the most interesting finding of the work of Reddavid et al [ 7 ] is that the clinical end-points of what they termed ‘simplified TAVI’ strategy are comparable to those achieved in the pre-COVID period. This finding stresses the value of experience, organization and team-work collaboration to reduce the burden on hospital resources and increase cost-effectiveness when confronted with the growing population of patients with severe aortic stenosis.…”

“…The manuscript by Reddavid et al in this Journal [ 8 ], together with other reports from different countries [ 7 , 9 , 10 ], clearly illustrates how the healthcare system may be readjusted to react to the pandemic adversities. In all cases, efforts were addressed to the following goals: 1) keeping an acceptable waiting period for symptomatic subjects; 2) reducing total hospitalization length; 3) minimizing or even eliminating the need for post-intervention transfer to intensive care unit (ICU), which at times had also been converted into COVID ICUs.…”

“…Among these, severe aortic stenosis is one of the worst cardiovascular conditions, with a poor mid-term prognosis and an estimated one-year mortality of up to 40% [ 6 ]. Recent reports indicate a substantial decrease in the number of patients who were granted treatment of severe aortic stenosis (either by trans-aortic valve implant, TAVI, or by surgical replacement), ranging from 25% to 30% during the pandemic period in comparison to 2019 [ 7 ].…”