Cardiac surgery during wartime in Israel

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Public Health
• Trauma Medicine

Background:

• The October 7th, 2023 war significantly impacted Israeli medical centers, including a surprising rise in cardiac surgeries.
• Despite 50% of surgeons being deployed, the largest cardiac surgery department saw increased procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the rise in cardiac operations during wartime.
• To assess the impact of the national crisis on patient outcomes in cardiac surgery.

Main Methods:

• A registry of 275 patients undergoing cardiac surgery or ECMO between Oct 7-Dec 7, 2023, was analyzed.
• Data was compared to cardiac surgery patients from the same period in 2022.

Main Results:

• A 33% increase in open-heart procedures was observed in 2023 (145) compared to 2022 (109).
• Transplantations saw a significant 233% increase in 2023.
• Patient outcomes, including complications, length of stay, and mortality, were similar between the two periods.

Conclusions:

• Cardiac surgery patients during wartime experienced comparable outcomes to the previous year, despite increased workload.
• The rise in transplantations was linked to an increase in organ donors during the conflict.