AUTHOR=Conte Edoardo , Mushtaq Saima , Mancini Maria Elisabetta , Annoni Andrea , Formenti Alberto , Muscogiuri Giuseppe , Gaudenzi Asinelli Margherita , Gigante Carlo , Collet Carlos , Sonck Jeroen , Guglielmo Marco , Baggiano Andrea , Cosentino Nicola , Denora Marialessia , Belmonte Marta , Agalbato Cecilia , Esposito Andrea Alessandro , Assanelli Emilio , Bartorelli Antonio L. , Pepi Mauro , Pontone Gianluca , Andreini Daniele 

TITLE=Cardiac Care of Non-COVID-19 Patients During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: The Pivotal Role of CCTA

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2021.775115

DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2021.775115

ISSN=2297-055X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Aim:</bold> The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential use of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) as the sole available non-invasive diagnostic technique for suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic causing limited access to the hospital facilities.</p><p><bold>Methods and Results:</bold> A consecutive cohort of patients with suspected stable CAD and clinical indication to non-invasive test was enrolled in a hub hospital in Milan, Italy, from March 9 to April 30, 2020. Outcome measures were obtained as follows: cardiac death, ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), and unstable angina. All the changes in medical therapy following the result of CCTA were annotated. A total of 58 patients with a mean age of 64 ± 11 years (36 men and 22 women) were enrolled. CCTA showed no CAD in 14 patients (24.1%), non-obstructive CAD in 30 (51.7%) patients, and obstructive CAD in 14 (24.1%) patients. Invasive coronary angiography (ICA) was considered deferrable in 48 (82.8%) patients. No clinical events were recorded after a mean follow-up of 376.4 ± 32.1 days. Changes in the medical therapy were significantly more prevalent in patients with vs. those without CAD at CCTA.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> The results of the study confirm the capability of CCTA to safely defer ICA in the majority of symptomatic patients and to correctly identify those with critical coronary stenoses necessitating coronary revascularization. This characteristic could be really helpful especially when the hospital resources are limited</p>