How to run the cardiology service in COVID times? A practical guide

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has placed an enormous strain on the health-care systems. In this systematic review, we briefly review the cardiovascular manifestation of COVID and how a cardiology service can be geared to tackle the COVID pandemic. These guidelines are based on how our hospital is being run based on guidelines which have come out from time to time from the Indian Council of Medical Research, WHO, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other health authorities. COVID-19 is more severe in patients with cardiovascular disease and hypertension and may be associated with myocarditis like illness and shock. Patients with preexisting comorbidities have to be handled with extra care, and the manifestation of COVID-19 has to be distinguished from cardiovascular problems. Running a cardiology service requires ensuring preventing cross infection between patients, preventing patients from infecting health-care personal, and this requires precautions at all levels including the outpatient, ward, echocardiography, angiography, and during surgery. All these aspects are discussed. Different wards and different procedures carry a different level of risk requiring different levels of protection which are outlined. There have to be triage areas to screen patients while the COVID reports are coming in, keeping in mind that the patients can be COVID positive even if the reports are negative. Each hospital has to have guidelines in place to handle different cardiac emergencies.

Keywords

• aiims
• cardiology practice
• coronavirus
• covid