Narrative Review of New Insight into the Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cardiovascular Care.

Background and Objectives: The purpose of this paper was to perform a literature review on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiothoracic and vascular surgery care and departments. Materials and Methods: To conduct this evaluation, an electronic search of many databases was conducted, and the resulting papers were chosen and evaluated. Results: Firstly, we have addressed the impact of COVID-19 infection on the cardiovascular system from the pathophysiological and treatment points of view. Afterwards, we analyzed every cardiovascular disease that seemed to appear after a COVID-19 infection, emphasizing the treatment. In addition, we have analyzed the impact of the pandemic on the cardiothoracic and vascular departments in different countries and the transitions that appeared. Finally, we discussed the implications of the cardiothoracic and vascular specialists' and residents' work and studies on the pandemic. Conclusions: The global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 compelled the vascular profession to review the treatment of certain vascular illnesses and find solutions to address the vascular consequences of COVID-19 infection. The collaboration between vascular surgeons, public health specialists, and epidemiologists must continue to investigate the impact of the pandemic and the response to the public health issue.

Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Patients with Neurological Pathology.

The COVID-19 disease, caused by infection with SARS-CoV-2, rapidly transformed into a pandemic following its emergence, and it continues to affect the population at a global level. This disease is associated with high mortality rates and mainly affects the pulmonary spectrum, with signs of interstitial pneumonia or other pathological modifications. Signs indicative of SARS-CoV-2 infection can be observed using pulmonary radiography or computed tomography scans and are closely linked to acute respiratory distress; however, there is accumulating evidence that the virus affects the central nervous system. Several symptoms, such as headaches, cough, fatigue, myalgia, ageusia, and anosmia, have also been reported along with neurological syndromes such as stroke, encephalopathy, Guillain-Barre syndrome, convulsions, and coma; the most frequent associated complication is ischemic stroke. Diagnosis of infection with SARS-CoV-2 virus is based on a positive RT-PCR test. Imaging investigations, such as thoracic computed tomography scans, are not used to diagnose COVID-19, monitor for pulmonary disease, or follow dynamic disease evolution, but they may be used in the case of a negative RT-PCR test. This paper presents the research performed on a group of 150 cases of patients affected by neurological disorders and that were subsequently confirmed to be infected with SARS-CoV-2, which was carried out over a period of 10 months within the Neurology Department and Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance Imaging of "Sf. Andrei" Emergency Hospital in Constanta. The collected data are observational and provide perspectives on the neurological pathology associated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and on the frequently associated risk factors, associated comorbidities, and the ages of patients who were affected by the virus, as well as the clinical and paraclinical manifestations of the patients admitted to the hospital's neurology department.