Prognostic value of SARS-CoV-2 on patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze Italian Cardiac Surgery experience during the pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) identifying risk factors for overall mortality according to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) status. METHODS: From February 20 to May 31, 2020, 1354 consecutive adult patients underwent cardiac surgery at 22 Italian Centers; 589 (43.5%), patients came from the red zone. Based on COVID-19 status, 1306 (96.5%) were negative to SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-N), and 48 (3.5%) were positive to SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-P); among the COVID-P 11 (22.9%) and 37 (77.1%) become positive, before and after surgery, respectively. Surgical procedures were as follows: 396 (29.2%) isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), 714 (52.7%) isolated non-CABG procedures, 207 (15.3%) two associate procedures, and three or more procedures in 37 (2.7%). Heart failure was significantly predominant in group COVID-N (10.4% vs. 2.5%, p = .01). RESULTS: Overall in-hospital mortality was 1.6% (22 cases), being significantly higher in COVID-P group (10 cases, 20.8% vs. 12, 0.9%, p < .001). Multivariable analysis identified COVID-P condition as a predictor of in-hospital mortality together with emergency status. In the COVID-P subgroup, the multivariable analysis identified increasing age and low oxygen saturation at admission as risk factors for in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: As expected, SARS-CoV-2 infection, either before or soon after cardiac surgery significantly increases in-hospital mortality. Moreover, among COVID-19-positive patients, older age and poor oxygenation upon admission seem to be associated with worse outcomes.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for COVID-19 Respiratory Distress Syndrome: An Italian Society for Cardiac Surgery Report.

An increased need of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support is going to become evident as treatment of SARS-CoV-2 respiratory distress syndrome. This is the first report of the Italian Society for Cardiac Surgery (SICCH) on preliminary experience with COVID-19 patients receiving ECMO support. Data from 12 Italian hospitals participating in SICCH were retrospectively analyzed. Between March 1 and September 15, 2020, a veno-venous (VV) ECMO system was installed in 67 patients (94%) and a veno-arterio-venous ECMO in four (6%). Five patients required VA ECMO after initial weaning from VV ECMO. Thirty (42.2%) patients were weaned from ECMO, while 39 (54.9%) died on ECMO, and six (8.5%) died after ECMO removal. Overall hospital survival was 36.6% (n = 26). Main causes of death were multiple organ failure (n = 14, 31.1%) and sepsis (n = 11, 24.4%). On multivariable analysis, predictors of death while on ECMO support were older age (p = 0.048), elevated pre-ECMO C-reactive protein level (p = 0.048), higher positive end-expiratory pressure on ventilator (p = 0.036) and lower lung compliance (p = 0.032). If the conservative treatment is not effective, ECMO support might be considered as life-saving rescue therapy for COVID-19 refractory respiratory failure. However warm caution and thoughtful approaches for timely detection and treatment should be taken for such a delicate patients population.

Cardiac surgery practice during the COVID-19 outbreak: a multicentre national survey.

OBJECTIVES: Healthcare systems worldwide have been overburdened by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Accordingly, hospitals had to implement strategies to profoundly reshape both non-COVID-19 medical care and surgical activities. Knowledge about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiac surgery practice is pivotal. The goal of the present study was to describe the changes in cardiac surgery practices during the health emergency at the national level. METHODS: A 26-question web-enabled survey including all adult cardiac surgery units in Italy was conducted to assess how their clinical practice changed during the national lockdown. Data were compared to data from the corresponding period in 2019. RESULTS: All but 2 centres (94.9%) adopted specific protocols to screen patients and personnel. A significant reduction in the number of dedicated cardiac intensive care unit beds (-35.4%) and operating rooms (-29.2%), along with healthcare personnel reallocation to COVID departments (nurses -15.4%, anaesthesiologists -7.7%), was noted. Overall adult cardiac surgery volumes were dramatically reduced (1734 procedures vs 3447; P < 0.001), with a significant drop in elective procedures [580 (33.4%) vs 2420 (70.2%)]. CONCLUSIONS: This national survey found major changes in cardiac surgery practice as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This experience should lead to the development of permanent systems-based plans to face possible future pandemics. These data may effectively help policy decision-making in prioritizing healthcare resource reallocation during the ongoing pandemic and once the healthcare emergency is over.