key: cord-0730877-v68oupbm
authors: Magoon, Rohan
title: COVID‐19 and congenital heart disease: Cardiopulmonary interactions for the worse!
date: 2020-09-30
journal: Paediatr Anaesth
DOI: 10.1111/pan.14004
sha: 7084468e76e0c33b43e35badb2e7ff72fa7912b3
doc_id: 730877
cord_uid: v68oupbm

nan

To The Editor, As I read through a recent exemplary description of the management concerns emanating as a result of COVID-19 infection in the pediatric age-group featured in the journal, 1 the cardiac anesthesiologist in me feels stimulated enough to elucidate upon the peculiar repercussions of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in congenital heart disease (CHD) patients wherein the cardiopulmonary liaison compounds the clinical situation furthermore.

While a restrained cytokine storm as a consequence of inadequately developed adaptive immune mechanisms and a reduced function of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE2) have been suggested to render the pediatric patients less susceptible to a severe form of respiratory disease, the existing experience with viral illnesses such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus in CHD patients is sufficient enough to raise a sense of caution. 2, 3 Moreover, the initial attempts at the characterization of COVID- To conclude, the panorama of the epidemiological data on the populations at risk in the current COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve. With the results of a large prospective observational study on the "impact of COVID-19 in CHD" (COVID-CHD) being ardently awaited, the cohort of our pediatric patients with sick hearts presenting diverse concerns throughout the palliative or corrective course demands a whole-hearted effort on our part, to provide the best clinical care in these challenging times.

We do not have any conflict of interest and any commercial or financial interest in this material and agree to abide by the rules of your journal regarding publication of this article.

Rohan Magoon conceptualized and wrote the original draft. 

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