Cardiac Surgery During and After the Pandemic: A Retrospective Analysis of UK Trends and Outcomes.

OBJECTIVES

The full extent of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact during different phases of the pandemic and the recovery of cardiac surgical services in the United Kingdom have not been comprehensively assessed. This study aims to evaluate these disruptions' impact and immediate recovery on delivering adult cardiac surgical care in the United Kingdom.

METHODS

The periods investigated were divided into pre-lockdown, first lockdown, first relaxation, second lockdown, second relaxation, third lockdown, and post-lockdown (recovery). Changes in surgical practice, early and mid-term clinical outcomes, and hospital readmission were analysed using various metrics across different time periods.

RESULTS

Coronary artery bypass grafts were the most performed procedure across all time periods, with the average number of urgent and emergency increasing compared to the pre-pandemic period. Aortic valve replacement was the next most frequent, followed by combined aortic valve and coronary artery bypass surgery. However, those procedures remained predominantly elective across all periods. There was a significant change in 30-day mortality rates across the pandemic phases (P < .001), with higher mortality observed post-pandemic. There was a gradual increase in the waiting times for elective and urgent surgeries from January 2018 to March 2022. Patients who had surgery before March 2020 had a significantly lower hazard of mid-term mortality than those who were operated on after this period (HR, 0.638; 95% CI, 0.5875-0.6921). All procedures showed gradual recovery across the pandemic periods following an initial decline at the beginning of the pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

COVID-19 had a significant negative impact on adult cardiac surgical case mix and volume and has not recovered to the pre-pandemic levels. This work, we believe, is important for policymakers, healthcare providers, and patients, as it offers insights into the challenges faced by a critical healthcare sector during a global crisis and highlights potential avenues for improvement.