Cardiac care during and post-COVID-19 pandemic

As the tsunami of the COVID-19 pandemic is hitting humanity very hard, it can be imagined that no aspect of medicine will remain untouched and without change after it. There are many unanswered questions about cardiac care, especially in low-middle income countries. Let's focus on few most important ones.

1. COVID-19 is not only directly associated with cardiovascular events by causing myocardial injury, increasing the risk of thromboembolism and acute coronary syndrome but also implicated in increasing other CVD risk factors like hyperglycemia, stress, and physical inactivity. There is a high possibility that all this will culminate in an increased incidence of cardiovascular diseases and events. an important question here is to what will be the extent of this impact?
2. Because of lockdowns and travel restrictions/limitations, how the healthcare system will transform to fulfill the increasing demand for health services? What is needed?? Are digital technologies along with advanced sensors can take care of this gap and to what extent?
3. Which specific areas in cardiovascular care need more innovation? How to roll out these interventions and technologies in rural parts as well as two and three-tier cities of the country.
4. What can be the role of preventive interventions? Do they need extra focus?

In the next few blogs, We will discuss these questions in deatil.