The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Hospital Management of TAVI Patients: TAVI Team Thoughts and Recommendation.

The COVID-19 Pandemic has put enormous pressure on the healthcare system globally, causing many healthcare organizations all over the world to cancel or stop elective procedures in their cardiac catheterization laboratoires. This delay in elective procedures with no doubt has led to a suspension of patient care primarily to those with severe aortic stenosis, which might place them at higher risk for cardiovascular complications like sudden death and heart failure. Health Care Worker are faced with the uncertainty of contracting infections while performing procedures in patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 or suspected cases. This unprecedented situation is very challenging for the safety of Health Care Worker. Hence, in this article, we aim to summarize some of the current guidelines as to how to triage patients in need for Trans Catheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI), during this ongoing pandemic, and will address some necessary considerations related to the preparation of catheterization laboratories and personal during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cardiac Surgery Services During the COVID-19 Outbreak: Surgeons' Thoughts.

Cardiac surgeons during this pandemic crisis have a responsibility to ensure that essential elective cardiac operations are provided at their centers to the public, at the same time, they have to face administrative demands as well as the infection prevention guidelines and restrictions to protect themselves and their patients. Here, we describe the patient and procedures characteristics that we recommend to protect our patients and the healthcare workers.