Turn down of acute aortic syndrome cases during COVID-19: Results from UK multicentre studies
Marius Roman1, Amer Harky2,3,4, Andrew Brazier5
1Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK.
Insights
During the COVID-19 pandemic, acute aortic syndrome (AAS) patients maintained access to emergency cardiac surgery. Patient selection and surgical timing ensured essential services continued, with outcomes comparable to pre-pandemic levels.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Surgery
- Emergency Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted healthcare systems globally.
- Resource prioritization for COVID-19 patients raised concerns about access to emergency treatments for other critical conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess emergency treatment access for acute aortic syndrome (AAS) patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To evaluate the outcomes of AAS patients during the peak of the pandemic.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data.
- Data gathered from 19 UK cardiac surgery centers between March and June 2020.
- Inclusion of 95 patients presenting with AAS.
Main Results:
- 89% of AAS patients underwent surgery; 7% were declined due to comorbidities.
- No significant restrictions in AAS treatment access were observed.
- 43% of conservatively treated patients survived 30 days.
Conclusions:
- Life-threatening aortic surgery services were sustained during the pandemic.
- Patient selection and surgical timing were key to maintaining services.
- Surgical turn-down rates remained comparable to pre-pandemic figures.
Objective:
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has restructured the healthcare systems, prioritizing resources to treat COVID-19 patients. The aim of this study was to establish if patients affected by acute aortic syndrome (AAS) had unrestricted access to emergency treatment and evaluate outcome of these patients during the peak of the pandemic.
Methods:
This is a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data between March and June 2020 from 19 participating cardiac surgery centers in the United Kingdom.
Results:
Among 95 patients who presented with an AAS in the participating centers; 85 (89%) underwent surgery, 7 (7%) were turned down for surgery because of their profile of comorbidities, and 3 (3%) died on transfer. Among the patients treated conservatively, three of them (43%) were alive at 30 days. We observed no significant restriction in access to treatment for AAS during the early months of the pandemic.
Conclusion:
Services for life-threatening aortic surgery patients were maintained during the COVID-19 period through patient selection and timing of surgery. The rate of surgical turn-down was comparable to published figures despite the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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