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Decrease of surgical heart disease treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic (Cardiac Surgery COVID-19 Study - CSC 19

Radoslaw Litwinowicz1,2, Grzegorz Filip2, Boguslaw Kapelak1,2

  • 1Department of Cardiovascular Surgery and Transplantology, Institute of Cardiology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland.

Kardiochirurgia I Torakochirurgia Polska = Polish Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery
|July 27, 2022
PubMed

Insights

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced cardiac surgery by 37%, leading to longer wait times and increased surgical risk for patients. Urgent procedures also rose sharply during this period.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Cardiovascular Surgery
  • Public Health

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic created knowledge gaps regarding its impact on cardiac surgery.
  • Understanding these effects is crucial for patient care and healthcare system management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare cardiac surgery patient characteristics, morbidity, procedures, length of stay, mortality, and outcomes between a pre-pandemic year and the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • To quantify the changes in cardiac surgery volume and patient risk during the pandemic.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective, observational, single-center study.
  • Analyzed 2881 consecutive cardiac surgery patients.
  • Compared data from March 1, 2019–February 29, 2020 (pre-pandemic) with March 1, 2020–February 28, 2021 (pandemic).

Main Results:

  • Cardiac surgery procedures decreased by 37% during the first year of the pandemic.
  • Patients experienced a 22-day longer wait for surgery and had higher surgical risk.
  • Urgent procedures increased by 135% (433 vs. 184).
  • No significant differences were found in surgery duration, ICU stay, or overall hospital stay.

Conclusions:

  • A significant decline in cardiac surgery occurred during the initial year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Patients faced longer waiting periods, increased surgical risk, and a higher frequency of urgent interventions.
  • These findings highlight the substantial disruption to cardiac surgical services caused by the pandemic.
Abstract

Keywords:
COVID-19Polandcardiac surgery

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