Novel screening programme ensures urgent cardiac care continues during the coronavirus pandemic
A team from St Bartholomew’s Hospital has established a new screening programme for patients requiring urgent cardiac care during the Covid-19 outbreak.
The programme, established five weeks ago at the height of the pandemic, has allowed clinicians to safely see patients deemed high-risk for elective treatment at a time when the risk of travelling to hospital is greater due to the spread of Covid-19.
The programme is led by the advanced care practitioners and physiology team at the Barts Heart Centre, part of Barts Health NHS Trust.
To date, more than 170 patients have received vital care, such as angiograms, device fittings and trans-catheter aortic valve implantations (TAVI), across a range of specialties, including interventional and structural cardiology and electrophysiology.
Before being admitted, the patient receives a call at home to discuss the benefit of having their procedure against the risk of possible exposure to Covid-19 during their travel to and time in hospital. Once a decision to treat had been made, patients are requested to self-isolate for a period of two weeks.
The patient is then contacted 24-48 hours before their procedure date to check that they are not displaying Covid-19 symptoms. They are asked not to bring visitors to the hospital with them and clinicians explain that they will be discharged at the earliest and safest opportunity to reduce their length of stay and potential exposure to the virus.
Upon arrival at the hospital, patients are tested for Covid-19 and have their temperature checked. They are also asked to wear a surgical mask to minimise the risk of spread of infection.
Gordon Mills, senior nurse for interventional cardiology and electrophysiology at Barts Heart Centre, said: “screening patients in a robust way before they are admitted has allowed us to bring those deemed as high-risk and in need of urgent care into hospital and treat them safely.”
“Putting a programme like this in place is no small feat and I’m really proud of how flexible, hardworking and patient-focussed the entire cardiology team has been during this time. We could not have done it without them.”
The progress of each patient post-procedure is followed closely by the team, including regular checks to see if they are displaying any symptoms of Covid-19.
So far, none of the near 200 patients that have been through the programme have tested positive for the virus.
Following the success of the past five weeks, the team is looking to increase the number of patients admitted through the pathway.
Read more about our cardiovascular services on the Barts Health website.