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COVID-19 IN PATIENTS RECOVERING FROM CARDIAC SURGERY: A SURPRISING MILD DISEASE COURSE
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  • Alfredo Cerillo,
  • Niccolò Marchionni,
  • Beatrice Bacchi,
  • Pier Luigi Stefano
Alfredo Cerillo
Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Careggi

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Niccolò Marchionni
Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi
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Beatrice Bacchi
Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Careggi
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Pier Luigi Stefano
University Hospital Careggi
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Abstract

Cardiac surgical patients are often discharged to a rehabilitation facility to complete the convalescence in a protected setting. This care pathway is usually reserved for elderly and fragile patients, with severe and invalidating comorbid conditions. Between March and April 2020, nineteen patients were discharged from our unit to a rehabilitation clinic where a hotbed of SARS-CoV-2 infection was documented on April 17. After the outbreak, all patients underwent screening with real-time PCR on nasal swabs, and 18/19 patients were found positive. Diversely from other observations on perioperative COVID-19 reporting mortality rates of 30-40%, the COVID-19 had a benign course in our cohort: six patients were completely asymptomatic, and only seven patients required hospitalization (no deaths). We describe the baseline, operative and postoperative features of these patients, and present some potential explanations for the surprisingly benign course of the COVID-19 in this cohort.
26 Nov 2020Submitted to Journal of Cardiac Surgery
30 Nov 2020Submission Checks Completed
30 Nov 2020Assigned to Editor
30 Nov 2020Reviewer(s) Assigned
01 Dec 2020Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
01 Dec 2020Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
28 Dec 20201st Revision Received
29 Dec 2020Submission Checks Completed
29 Dec 2020Assigned to Editor
29 Dec 2020Reviewer(s) Assigned
30 Dec 2020Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
30 Dec 2020Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
30 Dec 20202nd Revision Received
31 Dec 2020Submission Checks Completed
31 Dec 2020Assigned to Editor
31 Dec 2020Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
31 Dec 2020Editorial Decision: Accept