ESC Guidance document on diagnosis and treatment of CVD during the COVID-19 pandemic

The Task Force for the management of COVID-19 of the ESC has published two documents that are aimed to provide guidance for the diagnosis and management of CVD during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first document focusses on the association between cardiovascular comorbidities and COVID-19 outcomes, the pathophysiology of COVID-19 in relation to several CV conditions, and the diagnosis of CV conditions in patients with COVID-19. The section on how CV conditions should be diagnosed in COVID-19 patients, covers steps in the diagnosis pathway from clinical presentation to differential diagnosis and includes information on ECG, cardiac biomarkers, imaging, and exercise testing.

The second guidance document includes information and guidance on management and treatment pathways of patients with CVD (both with and without COVID-19) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Information about the medical treatment of COVID-19 and use of anticoagulants in COVID-19 patients is covered as well. In addition, the authors write that ‘transparent patient-centered information is an essential component to support patients to reduce risk of transmission, maintain a healthy lifestyle and manage their CVD’. The document provides practical advice with concrete examples which healthcare professionals can convey to their patients.

The authors stress that the documents are not formal guidelines, but extensive literature reviews of the current knowledge on COVID-19 in relation to CVD. Comprehensive flow-chards, tables and figures in the documents are aimed to provide guidance for healthcare professionals caring for patients with COVID-19 and CVD.

Find the first part of this guidance document at Eur Heart J. Find the second part of this guidance document at Eur Heart J.