Internal medicine

Business

Disease

Service (business)

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Myocardial infarction

Infectious disease (medical specialty)

Pandemic

Operating system

Marketing

Cardiology

Intensive care medicine

Emergency medicine

Workload

Interventional cardiology

Computer science

Medical emergency

Medicine

Open Heart

Objective The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in prioritisation of National Health Service (NHS) resources to cope with the surge in infected patients. However, there have been no studies in the UK looking at the effect of the COVID-19 work pattern on the provision of cardiology services. We aimed to assess the impact of the pandemic on cardiology services and clinical activity. Methods We analysed key performance indicators in cardiology services in a single centre in the UK in the periods prior to and during lockdown to assess reduction or changes in service provision. Results There has been a greater than 50% drop in the number of patients presenting to cardiology and those diagnosed with myocardial infarction. All areas of cardiology service provision sustained significant reductions, which included outpatient clinics, investigations, procedures and cardiology community services such as heart failure and cardiac rehabilitation. Conclusions As ischaemic heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death nationally and globally, cardiology services need to prepare for a significant increase in workload in the recovery phase and develop new pathways to urgently help those adversely affected by the changes in service provision.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiology services