COVID‐19 in patients recovering from cardiac surgery: A surprising mild disease course

Cerillo, Alfredo G.; Marchionni, Niccolò; Bacchi, Beatrice; Stefà no, Pierluigi

BACKGROUND: We describe the baseline, operative, and postoperative features of a group of 18 patients who contracted the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV2) infection in a rehabilitation facility after cardiac surgery, and present some potential explanations for the surprisingly benign course of the COVID‐19 in this cohort. METHODS: All patients were operated on an urgent or emergency basis (acute aortic syndrome, 3; refractory heart failure, 12; and endocarditis, 3) during the first lockdown period of the COVID‐19 pandemic. The mean age was 70 years, and 12 patients were male. After the diagnosis of COVID‐19, patients were treated according to the most recent recommendations. Eleven asymptomatic patients were discharged home or to a COVID‐19 hotel and underwent close monitoring. Patients with fever, dyspnea, or a significant rise of the polymerase chain reaction levels were hospitalized, three received antivirals, three azithromicyne, and five hydroxychloroquine. Nasal swabs were repeated on a weekly basis, and all patients were quarantined until the collection of two consecutive negative samples. RESULTS: Diversely from other observations on perioperative COVID‐19 reporting mortality rates of 30%–40%, the COVID‐19 had a benign course in our cohort: only seven patients required hospitalization, and one required short intensive care unit admission. There were no deaths, and at the latest follow‐up, all patients had been discharged home. COMMENT: Our data show that the SARS‐CoV2 infection after cardiac surgery may have a benign course. Further studies are needed to investigate the relationship between the timing of the infection, some potentially protective therapies (e.g., anticoagulants), and the course of the COVID‐19.