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. 2023 Apr;18(2):136-141.
doi: 10.18502/jthc.v18i2.13324.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Hospitalization Rates due to Prosthetic Valve Thrombosis

Mana Jameie  1   2 , Mohammad Safarian Nematabad  3 , Pejman Mansouri  1 , Arash Jalali  1   2 , Faezeh Aghajani  4 , Masoumeh Lotfi-Tokaldany  1   2 , Hassan Aghajani  1   2
Affiliations

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Hospitalization Rates due to Prosthetic Valve Thrombosis

Mana Jameie et al. J Tehran Heart Cent. 2023 Apr.

Abstract

Background: Studies have shown a decline in the admission rates of various diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prosthetic valve thrombosis (PVT) is a rare condition followed by surgical or transcatheter valvular interventions. Considering the lack of data on hospitalization rates due to PVT during the pandemic, this study evaluated the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on PVT admissions and characteristics in a tertiary referral center.

Methods: Data from all the consecutive patients hospitalized due to PVT between February 2020 and February 2021 (the first year of the pandemic) were collected from medical records and compared clinically with the corresponding time before the pandemic (February 2019 through February 2020). Variables of interest included the number of hospitalization, patient and valve characteristics, diagnostic and management strategies, and in-hospital events.

Results: Forty patients (32.5% male, age: 54.0 [46.5-62.0 y] comprised the study population. We observed a considerable decline in hospitalization rates during the pandemic, from 31 to 9 patients. Admitted patients were 8 years younger, had a higher proportion of the New York Heart Association functional class III or IV symptoms (44.4% vs 22.6%), were more often treated with fibrinolysis (33.3% vs 22.6%) or surgical approaches (33.3% vs 22.6%), and were discharged 6 days sooner.

Conclusion: We described a reduction in PVT hospitalization. Patients presented with a higher proportion of severe dyspnea and had increased treatment with fibrinolysis/surgical approaches. These observations highlight the necessity of the active surveillance of patients with prosthetic valves by caregivers for timely diagnosis and appropriate management during the pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; Heart valve diseases; Heart valve prosthesis; Hospitalization.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The image depicts the impact of COVID-19 on hospitalization rates due to prosthetic valve thrombosis. NHYA, New York Heart Association; TEE, Transesophageal echocardiography; LOS, Length of stay
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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