Deferring nonemergent cardiac surgery became the strategy of choice for several international healthcare systems afflicted by high case burdens of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19) to both conserve valuable healthcare resources and protect patients from possible exposure. Missing from the available dataset to help guide policy development has been a clear understanding of the extent to which COVID-19 infection modulates cardiac surgery outcomes. In their investigation, Bonalumi et al. uncovered an inpatient COVID-19 positivity rate of almost 10 times higher than that of the general Italian population, as well as a mortality rate over 20 times higher amongst cardiac surgery patients with perioperative COVID-19 infection compared to those COVID-negative. While the summation of available evidence points to the serious consideration cardiac surgeons must give to delaying surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic, recognition must be given to the risks that postponing cardiac surgery may have on patient outcomes. Emerging data is beginning to demonstrate the efficacy of vaccination in preventing postoperative COVID-19 infection and morbidity.

中文翻译：

---

进退两难：SARS-CoV-2 大流行期间管理心脏手术患者的临床难题


推迟非紧急心脏手术成为一些受严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2 (SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19) 高病例负担影响的国际医疗保健系统的选择策略，以节省宝贵的医疗资源并保护患者免受可能的感染。现有数据集缺少对 COVID-19 感染调节心脏手术结果程度的清晰了解，无法帮助指导政策制定。 Bonalumi 等人在他们的调查中。研究发现，住院患者的 COVID-19 阳性率比意大利普通人群高出近 10 倍，而围手术期感染 COVID-19 的心脏手术患者的死亡率比 COVID 阴性患者高出 20 倍以上。虽然现有证据的总结表明，在 COVID-19 大流行期间，心脏外科医生必须认真考虑推迟手术，但必须认识到推迟心脏手术可能对患者预后产生的风险。新数据开始证明疫苗接种在预防术后 COVID-19 感染和发病方面的功效。