Methods and Results
This study was supported and endorsed by the Asia Pacific Society of Interventional Cardiology. Due to the pandemic and an inability to meet face to face, an online survey was sent out to 15 Asian TAVI key opinion leaders in Asia via email correspondence. These included cardiac surgeon, interventional cardiologist, echocardiologist. Table 1 shows the survey questions and the results of the survey. Response rate was 100% except for questions 13 and 14 where response was 92% (See table 1). The results were tabulated and further discussion followed online to produce the subsequent expert consensus recommendations.
Summary of key findings:
The online survey had shown a significant reduction in TAVI volumes during the pandemic by 25% ( 10-80). There was also a need for physicians to triage patients based on disease severity ( seen in 53% all Asian centres). The 2 most important criteria deemed to influence triage were the presence of symptoms as well as the anatomical severity of the valve. Pre, peri procedure and post procedural changes were also described. The use of teleconsultation, pre-procedural testing for COVID-19 as well as a tendency to reduce or minimize pre TAVI tests were adopted by some of the centres. Similarly, changes in the site of where TAVI is performed as well as modifications done in the catheterization laboratory were described. There were also reductions in the length of stay ( 4.4 to 4 days) of patients following the TAVI procedure during the pandemic.