Guidelines for Balancing Priorities in Structural Heart Disease During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Highlights
- • Many elective and surgical cases have been postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- • We propose guidelines for managing structural heart disease during the pandemic.
- • General principles include preserving vital resources and personnel.
- • Specific guidance for TAVR and mitral valve repair changes with pandemic phase.
- • Keeping our patients and ourselves safe and justly rationing resources is paramount.
Abstract
During the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many hospitals have been asked to postpone elective and surgical cases. This begs the question, “What is elective in structural heart disease intervention?” The recently proposed Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions/American College of Cardiology consensus statement is, unfortunately, non-specific and insufficient in its scope and scale of response to the COVID-19 pandemic.