In many places worldwide, the worst part of the pandemic is still to come. Meanwhile, in other areas, the number of cases is rising again. In this context, the long-term effects of COVID-19 are starting to show. Many believe this is not a current issue, but it will definitely be a problem in the future.…
LATAM: Information on the Impact of the Pandemic with a Focus on MI
There are several studies from all corners of the world (China, Europe, USA) presenting data on the impact of COVID19 on interventional cardiology in general, and on MI in particular. What is new about this study is that it presents data on LATAM and that it has been published in an international magazine. Seldom do…
When and How Could Dexamethasone Be Useful in a COVID-19 Infection?
More details have emerged on the group of COVID-19 patients who received dexamethasone in the RECOVERY trial. These data, published as a preliminary report in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), suggest that dexamethasone could reduce mortality in cases when infection effects are mainly derived from immunopathological elements in patients requiring mechanical ventilation or…
Rapid Drop of Antibodies in Mild COVID-19 patients
A fast drop in COVID-19 antibodies in mild patients triggers the alarm for protection against the new virus. This decrease, observed within the first 90 days after contagion, might slow down over time. However, it calls for caution when it comes to the feeling of “protection” in recovered patients, vaccine immunization at long-term, and ultimately…
Estimating the Risk of Infection for Healthcare Personnel
Roughly one out of every 100 healthcare workers at hospitals receiving COVID-19 patients become infected. Statistics are not uniform for all corners of earth, and they do not indicate that being on the front line necessarily entails higher risk. A large analysis conducted in the initial epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic (Wuhan, China) showed that 110…
Priorities in the Cath Lab to Escape COVID-19 Tsunami
The pandemic tsunami of COVID-19 has hit all cath lab services, especially those performing primary PCI. Passively waiting for the first patient suspected of infection only to improvise in the early hours means heading for disaster. Several scientific societies have published recommendations, but not based on clear data. It seems pertinent to bear in mind…
Covid-19 and Unaccounted Collateral Damage
Dr Metzler and collaborators carried out a retrospective search to find out the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on diagnosis and treatment of acute coronary syndromes during March 2020 in Austria. Basically, they tried to account for the collateral damage we all imagine, but no government reports. During March we observed a significant drop in…
Webinar SOLACI – 13/06 – Cath Lab Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic
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In Favor of the Use of Thrombolytics in Pandemic Times
The Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically altered reperfusion therapy access in patients undergoing ST elevation MI. In these adverse times, it seems prudent to reassess the reperfusion algorithm. Even though primary PCI is the standard reperfusion strategy, to fully benefit from it is essential to keep first medical-contact-to-PCI time between 90 to 120 minutes (depending on…
ECS Guidelines for COVID-19 Management
One of the first statements in this document points out these are not “regular guidelines” developed after thorough analysis of all the available evidence published since the last update. Instead, they are meant to provide temporary basic management pointers on how to handle different scenarios of cardiac patients in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.…