Fifteen North American cardiovascular societies have released recommendations for reintroducing invasive cardiovascular care into healthcare settings in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Early in the pandemic most invasive cardiovascular procedures and diagnostic tests were deferred. But to avoid detrimental delays in care for cardiovascular disease patients, it is important that healthcare organizations slowly reintroduce these services, particularly in regions that are seeing a leveling off of COVID-19 cases, the societies’ leaders wrote in an article detailing the recommendations.
The recommendations to guide the safe reintroduction of this care, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, brings together recommendations from 15 cardiovascular societies in one document.
The society leaders said having a transparent plan for COVID-19 testing and personal protective equipment use in place before reintroducing cardiovascular care was particularly important.
The article also gives an ethical framework for reintroducing these services, including balancing the risk of further postponing cardiovascular care against the risk of exacerbating COVID-19 spread.
Read the recommendations here.