Impact of COVID 19 lockdown on post operative follow up of patients with valvular heart disease

Abstract

Context: In this COVID-19 pandemic, most of the healthcare infrastructure including healthcare officials has now been allocated toward COVID management. It is not even feasible for regular patients to visit hospital as they are susceptible to get infected. Aim: The aim is to study the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on the postoperative follow-up of patients with valvular heart diseases by international normalized ratio monitoring in a tertiary health care center. Subjects and Methods: This is an observational study on patients with prosthetic valve conducted at a tertiary healthcare center. Sixty postoperative patients were surveyed with a prevalidated questionnaire designed for them. The questionnaire included questions about the availability of testing centers, communication facility with doctors, and a list of complications such as skin color change, nose bleeds, abdominal fullness, dyspnea, fever, numbness, swelling of limbs, and headache. Results: The study comprised 60 patients with valve replacement surgery. 80% of patients faced difficulty in reaching the hospital during the lockdown; however, almost 86% of patients had telephonic conversation with the doctor. Almost 73% of patients did not have the testing facility in their locality. 34% of patients mentioned that they had history of prolonged fever, 14% presented with history of fullness of abdomen, 10% presented with episode of headache and unconsciousness, and 9% noticed a change in skin color. Conclusions: COVID-19 is still on rise, and there is a long way before herd immunity is developed or everyone is vaccinated. We need to find alternatives so that patient care is not affected. Point-of-care testing should be encouraged as it will reduce hospital visits and exposure to hospital-acquired infections.