Cardiac surgery in the time of the novel coronavirus: Why we should think to a new normal

Tamagnini, Gabriele; Biondi, Raoul; Ricciardi, Gabriella; Rutigliano, Roberta; Trias‐Llimós, Sergi; Meuris, Bart; Lamelas, Joseph; Del Giglio, Mauro

On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the SARS‐CoV‐2 outbreak a pandemic. At the time of writing, 24 May 2020 more than 5 million individuals have been tested positive and the death toll was over 330 000 deaths worldwide. The initial data pointed out the tight bond between cardiovascular diseases and worse health outcomes in COVID19‐patients. Epidemiologically speaking, there is an overlap between the age‐groups more affected by COVID‐related death and the age‐groups in which Cardiac Surgery has its usual base of patients. The Cardiac Surgery Departments have to think to a new normal: since the virus will remain endemic in the society, dedicated pathways or even dedicated Teams are pivotal to treat safely the patients, in respect of the safety of the health care workers. Moreover, we need a keen eye on deciding which pathologies have to be treated with priority: Coronary artery Disease showed a higher mortality rate in patients affected by COVID19, but it is, however, reasonable to think that all the cardiac pathologies affecting the lung circulation—such as symptomatic severe mitral diseases or aortic stenosis—might deserve a priority access to treatment, to increase the survival rate in case of an acquired‐Coronavirus infection later on.