# Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with coronary artery disease requiring cardiac surgery at a German university hospital

## TL;DR

The study found that during the COVID-19 pandemic, cardiac surgery patients in Germany had more severe conditions and longer surgeries, but similar post-surgery survival rates.

## Contribution

This study provides new data from Germany on how the pandemic affected cardiac surgery patients and hospital practices.

## Key findings

- Patients during the pandemic had more frequent preoperative myocardial infarctions and emergency surgeries.
- Surgical durations like heart-lung machine and aortic clamping times were longer during the pandemic.
- Postoperative ICU and inpatient stay durations were similar between pre- and pandemic groups.

## Abstract

Studies show conflicting results regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the treatment of patients with coronary artery disease requiring cardiac surgery and data from Germany are lacking. In this study, two patient cohorts who underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery before and after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic were compared.

Patients who presented for coronary artery bypass graft surgery before (01.05.18–30.04.19; group “B”) or during the COVID-19 pandemic (01.05.20-30.04.21; group “P”) at the University Hospital Münster in Germany were retrospectively identified and compared regarding demographics, preoperative status, surgical data, and postoperative outcome.

513 (group “B”) and 501 patients (group “P”) were included, demographics were comparable. In group “P”, preoperative myocardial infarction and emergency indications were more frequent, heart-lung machine and aortic clamping times were longer. Postoperative ICU-days and inpatient stay did not differ. Postoperative need of an extracorporeal life support system and intrahospital mortality tended to be higher in group “P”, without reaching statistical significance.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on cardiac surgical care with the prioritization of emergency procedures. Patients treated during the pandemic were in a more critical preoperative condition, duration of surgery was longer, but post-operative mortality was comparable.