Key result
Reorganization of healthcare resources, including telemedicine and prioritization of percutaneous procedures, is necessary to safely manage patients with heart failure and valvular heart disease during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Why the study?
The COVID-19 pandemic caused substantial delays in treating valvular heart disease and challenged healthcare delivery, necessitating strategies to reorganize resources and prioritize patient care.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the management of heart failure patients with valvular disease should be adapted using telemedicine and percutaneous interventions to minimize healthcare resource utilization and infection risk.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Supports reorganization strategies during pandemics; leaves open optimal integration of telemedicine and percutaneous approaches in routine HF and VHD care.
COVID-19 pandemic is causing an unprecedented burden on healthcare resources and this includes treatment of heart failure and valvular heart diseases (VHD). Percutaneous procedures have broadened the number of patients with VHD who could be treated. However, COVID-19 pandemic has challenged their implementation. The risk of in-hospital infection, resources reallocation, reduced access to hospital caused a substantial delay of VHD treatment with an increased risk of clinical worsening and mortality. Now, the pandemic is not ended and subsequent waves are likely. Reorganization of our healthcare resources is needed, including a proper algorithm for patients' prioritization, based on the severity of their valve disease, their life expectancy, complexity of the intervention, and the resources available. A wider use of telemedicine for patients' selection and follow-up and any measurement that can shorten the duration of the hospital stay must be adopted. Patients' and healthcare staff screening for COVID-19 and all needed procedures to prevent infection will continue to be mandatory. Percutaneous procedures, compared to surgery, are associated with a lower risk of infection and a lower need for in-hospital resources, including a shorter duration of hospital stay. This may favour their adoption when the risk of viral infection is high.
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Adamo et al. (2020) conducted a review in Heart failure and valvular heart diseases during COVID-19. Reorganization of healthcare resources, telemedicine, and percutaneous procedures was evaluated. Reorganization of healthcare resources, including telemedicine and prioritization of percutaneous procedures, is necessary to safely manage patients with heart failure and valvular heart disease during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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