Adult congenital and structural interventions in coronavirus disease 2019 era: Report from an Iranian tertiary cardiovascular center

Abstract

Background: Iran is one of the countries hit hard and early by the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Interventions for congenital and structural heart disease came to a halt in the initial part the year 2020, however as the pandemic seemed no closer to an end there was a mandate for elective catheterization procedures to be slowly and cautiously resumed. Aims and Objectives: In the present report we discuss the challenges we faced and the experiences earned as a cardiovascular tertiary center in the field of adult congenital and structural interventions in the COVID era. Material and Methods: Adult congenital and structural interventions were resumed in May 2020 with implementing strict screening protocols regulated by our institutional COVID committee. Patients were closely monitored for developing COVID-19 symptoms in hospital and two weeks following discharge. Results: In the regular review performed by the COVID committee there was no increase in new cases of the disease related to the interventional procedures and related admission. Conclusion: As the fate of pandemic remains unforeseeable, structural and congenital interventions need to be resumed in a sustainable fashion and with an instituted system of patient protection. The workflow might slow down during disease peaks with a catch-up in more stable disease periods.