key: cord-1013766-vp8thcwa
authors: Vallabhajosyula, Saraschandra; Rab, S Tanveer
title: The Recalibration of Interventional Cardiology During COVID-19: An Opportunity for A Future Paradigm
date: 2020-12-02
journal: Mayo Clin Proc
DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2020.11.023
sha: 819dde3480edd1d1600427cf58ef6f452abc558b
doc_id: 1013766
cord_uid: vp8thcwa

nan

To the Editor: "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." -Winston Churchill, 1938 As a consequence of the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, hospitals have had to reconfigure the role for cardiac intensive care units (CICU) staffing to meet the healthcare needs of their communities. 1 Interventional cardiologists (IC), amongst other specialists, have been re-deployed in the CICUs to take care of a primary respiratory illness with multiorgan failure. 1,2 These physicians are required to be skilled with ventilator management, end-organ injury, fluid/electrolyte balance, and end-of-life care. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the CICU had noted dramatic shifts in its landscape, and started to resemble a medical ICU population with a primary cardiac illness complicated by multiorgan involvement and intensive care needs. [2] [3] [4] This contrast has been further amplified by the ongoing pandemic.

How then must the IC seek the opportunity within this difficulty? IC has increasingly become sub-specialized with training programs for complex coronary, structural, and peripheral interventions. Increasingly, the IC has been required to serve as a leader of the acute cardiovascular team caring for patients with acute coronary syndrome, cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest and pulmonary embolism. 2, 4 In the catheterization laboratory, rapid decisions such as vascular access, hemodynamic evaluation, mechanical circulatory support, internal cooling, 

Cardiovascular health in the COVID-19 era: A call for action and education

Hybrid training in acute cardiovascular care: the next frontier for the care of complex cardiac patients

Evolution of critical care cardiology: transformation of the cardiovascular intensive care unit and the emerging need for new medical staffing and training models: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association

The implications of acute clinical care responsibilities on the contemporary practice of interventional cardiology

Training the critical care cardiologists of the future: an interventional cardiology critical care pathway