Letter to the Editor: CSANZ Consensus Guidelines for Interventional Cardiology Services Delivery During COVID-19 Pandemic in Australia and New Zealand

We read with interest the publication of an Australian/New Zealand Consensus Statement on Cardiovascular Disease and COVID-19 [1]. This followed the release of the CSANZ Consensus Guidelines for Interventional Cardiology Services during the COVID-19 Pandemic [2]. Both documents correctly refer to select circumstances where fibrinolysis may need to be considered for ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treatment. However, we are concerned that some cardiac services have interpreted these statements as a rationale to convert to a routine fibrinolysis strategy for all patients with STEMI rather than maintaining a primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) service, despite extremely low notification rates of COVID-19 infection of 3.4/100,000 population [3], and this in the context of a high case ascertainment [4].
Source: Heart, Lung and Circulation - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Letter to the Editor Source Type: research