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. 2020 Aug;7(2):e001359.
doi: 10.1136/openhrt-2020-001359.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiology services

Omar Fersia  1 , Sue Bryant  2 , Rachael Nicholson  2 , Karen McMeeken  2 , Carolyn Brown  2 , Brenda Donaldson  2 , Aaron Jardine  2 , Valerie Grierson  3 , Vanessa Whalen  3 , Alistair Mackay  2
Affiliations

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiology services

Omar Fersia et al. Open Heart. 2020 Aug.

Abstract

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in prioritisation of National Health Service (NHS) resources to cope with the surge in infected patients. However, there have been no studies in the UK looking at the effect of the COVID-19 work pattern on the provision of cardiology services. We aimed to assess the impact of the pandemic on cardiology services and clinical activity.

Methods: We analysed key performance indicators in cardiology services in a single centre in the UK in the periods prior to and during lockdown to assess reduction or changes in service provision.

Results: There has been a greater than 50% drop in the number of patients presenting to cardiology and those diagnosed with myocardial infarction. All areas of cardiology service provision sustained significant reductions, which included outpatient clinics, investigations, procedures and cardiology community services such as heart failure and cardiac rehabilitation.

Conclusions: As ischaemic heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death nationally and globally, cardiology services need to prepare for a significant increase in workload in the recovery phase and develop new pathways to urgently help those adversely affected by the changes in service provision.

Keywords: cardiac rehabilitation; coronary artery disease; delivery of care; heart failure.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Outpatient clinics activity before and during lockdown. GP, general practitioner.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Cardiac investigations before and during lockdown. cTnT, cardiac troponin T; ECG, electrocardiography; Echo, echocardiogram; NT-proBNP, N-terminal-pro B-type natriuretic peptide; OP, outpatient.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Cardiac procedures before and during lockdown. DC, direct current; IP, inpatient; OP, outpatient; PPM, permanent pacemaker.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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