Pacemaker implantation in a COVID-19 patient. Balancing the patient's needs and the team's risk of exposure.

COVID-19 patients may have cardiovascular complications requiring invasive treatment. Pacemaker implantation procedure may be challenging because of the necessity of personal protective equipment use. We report pacemaker implantation in a 78-year-old man with severe bilateral COVID-19 interstitial pneumonia, a second degree 2:1 atrioventricular block, and concomitant aortic stenosis.

Benefit of dual antithrombotic therapy with direct oral anticoagulants in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: a systematic review and metaanalysis of randomized clinical trials.

Antithrombotic treatment in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention is still debated. We conducted a meta-analysis of recent randomized controlled trials to evaluate the benefit of different antithrombotic strategies. Data were analyzed between May and September 2019. Efficacy outcomes were trial-defined major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE); its individual components; stent thrombosis. Safety outcomes were trial-defined primary bleeding outcome; TIMI and ISTH major bleeding; clinically relevant non-major bleeding; intracranial hemorrhage. Differences in outcomes among groups were expressed as pooled odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). Four randomized studies were included (10,969 patients). The mean age ranged from 69 to 72 years, prevalence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) varied from 48 to 62%. Comparing dual antithrombotic therapy (DAT) with a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) versus triple antithrombotic therapy (TAT) with vitamin K antagonist (VKA), OR for trial-defined MACE and primary bleeding outcome were 1.03 (95% CI, 0.86-1.24) and 0.59 (95% CI, 0.41-0.86), respectively. There was a 68% lower risk of intracranial hemorrhage and a non-statistically significant higher risk of stent thrombosis with DAT. DAT was as effective and safer than TAT in patients with stable coronary artery disease, while a trend towards increased ischemic events was seen in ACS patients. DAT with a DOAC showed similar efficacy and less bleeding than TAT with a VKA. However, increased stent thrombosis with DAT may be present, and TAT should be considered in patients at high ischemic risk, such as ACS patients.

The hazard of (sub)therapeutic doses of anticoagulants in non-critically ill patients with Covid-19: The Padua province experience.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is responsible for a worldwide pandemic, with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. The increasing evidence of an associated relevant prothrombotic coagulopathy has resulted in an increasing use of antithrombotic doses higher than usual in COVID-19 patients. Information on the benefit/risk ratio of this approach is still lacking. OBJECTIVE: To assess the incidence of relevant bleeding complications in association with the antithrombotic strategy and its relationship with the amount of drug. METHODS: Consecutive COVID-19 patients admitted between February and April 2020 were included in a retrospective analysis. Major bleedings (MB) and clinically relevant non-major bleeding (CRNMB) were obtained from patient medical records and were adjudicated by an independent committee. RESULTS: Of the 324 patients who were recruited, 240 had been treated with prophylactic doses and 84 with higher doses of anticoagulants. The rate of the composite endpoint of MB or CRNMB was 6.9 per 100-person/months in patients who had been given prophylactic doses, and 26.4 per 100-person/months in those who had been prescribed higher doses (hazard ratio, 3.89; 95% confidence interval, 1.90-7.97). The corresponding rates for overall mortality were 12.2 and 20.1 per 100-person/months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of relevant bleeding events was high in patients treated with (sub)therapeutic doses of anticoagulants. In the latter group, overall mortality did not differ from that of patients treated with standard prophylactic doses and was even higher. Our result does not support a strategy of giving (sub)therapeutic doses of anticoagulants in non-critically ill patients with COVID-19.