key: cord-0738555-w63y7t8a
authors: Maddox, Thomas; Grapsa, Julia
title: Developing Credible Knowledge during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences with JACC Case Reports and the ACC COVID-19 Hub
date: 2020-06-13
journal: JACC Case Rep
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaccas.2020.06.015
sha: 8c142bfed3ff5b514ab6c7457072a86d406452a8
doc_id: 738555
cord_uid: w63y7t8a

nan

When WHO declared COVID a pandemic, we moved to understand its complications and most importantly cardiovascular and thromboembolic manifestations. We were fully aware that our first evidence would be coming from clinical cases as anecdotal evidence until we had big data from randomised trials or prospective studies.

On the 20 th of March, we started a call for clinical cases on COVID-19, with a deadline of June 1st. In the beginning of April, all JACC journals decided to waive publication fees for papers reporting on COVID-19 cases, as an effort to help front line colleagues publish their findings. It was an opportunity to learn from all of you, to learn from your patients, and to read evidence from across the world.

Our very first publication on COVID-19 was by Bettari (2) . Furthermore, at the beginning of the pandemic, a clever manuscript by Gage et al. (3) reacquainted cardiologists with mechanical ventilation. We felt this manuscript was extremely useful for all of us who were deployed in intensive care units helping with COVID-19 patients.

Subsequently, as we are receiving more manuscripts, we decided to divide JACC:Case Reports publications into 5 sections: acute coronary syndromes, heart failure, arrhythmias, thromboembolic events, and stories from the front line, in the format of "Voices in Cardiology" manuscripts. All these manuscripts have been highlighted in this issue (4).

Recognizing the value of not overloading our audience with publications, and in an effort to keep the quality high and up to the standards of JACC journals, we accepted approximately 8-10% of the manuscripts submitted. We selected the best of the best cases and brought together world renowned specialists to write editorials.

While we understand that clinical cases have been of crucial importance for our understanding of COVID-19, it is of equal importance that they cannot substitute for large data studies and pharmacological trials. Therefore, unless we were dealing with an impressive side effect of a medicine, we have been very cautious in publishing pharmacological evidence since large trials would prove the benefits and side effects of these medicines currently under trial. Another important task of JACC: Case Reports is that we tried to connect the dots in to bridging clinical cases with publications in sister journals, including the main JACC journal.

As the COVID-19 pandemic developed, early reports suggested that cardiovascular (CV) disease was associated with COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. Accordingly, CV providers needed guidance on how to prevent COVID-19 infection in vulnerable patients and management advice for infected patients. In addition, they needed to understand how best to protect themselves and their teams from infection. All of these priorities necessitated rapid communication of credible information.

The ACC is a global organization, with approximately 20,000 of its 52,000 members hailing from non-U.S. countries, include those -such as China and Italy -with early experience in combatting COVID-19. As such, the College was uniquely positioned to gather, collate, and disseminate information about CV aspects of COVID-19. Under the guidance of the ACC Science and Quality committee (SQC) and staff, ACC members with expertise in virology and its impact on the CV system reviewed the emerging data on COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in CV patients and provided general guidance for its management. They noted that COVID-19 infection was more severe for those with underlying CV conditions and appeared to directly affect the CV system, potentially leading to acute heart failure, myocardial infarction, myocarditis, and cardiac arrest. They also addressed the contagiousness of COVID-19 and the need to protect the CV team taking care of these patients, not only for the healthcare worker's health, but also to ensure that we had a sufficiently healthy workforce to assist with the growing COVID-19 population. They also issued calls for additional studies of these populations and development of care protocols. Going forward, the Hub will continue to generate content, but now turn its attention to highlighting the growing peer-reviewed research literature on COVID-19 and CV disease. The ACC has commissioned a task force to promote research in this area, and the Hub will serve as a primary dissemination platform, in conjunction with JACC and other cardiology-focused journals. In addition, the Hub will highlight best practices and front-line experiences from its membership on "reopening" protocols. With projections that COVID-19 will ebb and flow worldwide over the next several years, our membership will need to navigate the best way to continue to treat CV disease during this time.

The ACC COVID-19 Hub has proven to be a useful resource to assembling and distributing information broadly during a rapidly evolving pandemic. Lessons learned include the need to build a nimble process to commission, organize, and distribute content, an ability to engage with experts to generate content, a method to closely monitor of member and community needs to inform content development, and an emphasis on highlighting rigorously conducted research and expert consensus over mere opinion and speculation.

Exploring Personal Protection During High-Risk PCI in a COVID-19 Patient: Impella CP Mechanical Support During ULMCA Bifurcation Stenting. JACC Case Rep

American College of Cardiology's Interventional Council and the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions. Catheterization Laboratory Considerations During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic: From the ACC's Interventional Council and SCAI

Reacquainting Cardiology With Mechanical Ventilation in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic