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COVID-19 and cardiac surgery: A perspective from United Kingdom
Amer Harky1,2,3, Deborah Harrington1, Omar Nawaytou1
1Department of Cardiac Surgery, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, Liverpool, UK.
Insights
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted UK cardiac surgery, particularly aortovascular disease services. This study analyzes the effects of the national lockdown on surgical activity and patient attitudes.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Vascular Surgery
- Public Health
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic caused global healthcare system strain.
- The UK implemented a national lockdown on March 23, 2020, impacting all health services.
- Cardiac surgery, reliant on critical care beds, was particularly affected.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the impact of the UK COVID-19 lockdown on elective and emergency cardiac surgery provision.
- To analyze aortovascular disease activity and outcomes during the lockdown period.
- To survey patient attitudes towards aortic surgery during the pandemic.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of aortovascular surgical activity and outcomes.
- Patient survey on attitudes towards aortic surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Description of service reconfigurations within the UK National Health Service.
Main Results:
- The lockdown led to significant changes in cardiac surgery provision, especially for aortovascular disease.
- Analysis of surgical activity and outcomes during the UK lockdown period.
- Patient survey results on attitudes towards aortic surgery during the pandemic are presented.
Conclusions:
- The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated major adaptations in UK cardiac surgery services.
- Understanding the impact on aortovascular disease care is crucial for future pandemic preparedness.
- Patient perspectives are important in navigating surgical service delivery during public health crises.
Abstract:
The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in December 2019, presumed from the city of Wuhan, Hubei province in China, and the subsequent declaration of the disease as a pandemic by the World Health Organization as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in March 2020, had a significant impact on health care systems globally. Each country responded to this disease in different ways, however this was done broadly by fortifying and prioritizing health care provision as well as introducing social lockdown aiming to contain the infection and minimizing the risk of transmission. In the United Kingdom, a lockdown was introduced by the government on March 23, 2020 and all health care services were focussed to challenge the impact of COVID-19. To do so, the United Kingdom National Health Service had to undergo widespread service reconfigurations and the so-called "Nightingale Hospitals" were created de novo to bolster bed provision, and industries were asked to direct efforts to the production of ventilators. A government-led public health campaign was publicized under the slogan of: "Stay home, Protect the NHS (National Health Service), Save lives." The approach had a significant impact on the delivery of all surgical services but particularly cardiac surgery with its inherent critical care bed capacity. This paper describes the impact on provision for elective and emergency cardiac surgery in the United Kingdom, with a focus on aortovascular disease. We describe our aortovascular activity and outcomes during the period of UK lockdown and present a patient survey of attitudes to aortic surgery during COVID-19 pandemic.
