Parallax by Ankur Kalra

The State of Ohio reported its first coronavirus cases on March 9. Prior to that, on February 28, the Cleveland Clinic announced that they are prepared to open 1,000 additional hospital beds if needed. Ohio was one of the states to follow recommendations and intervene quickly. Ankur Kalra asks Grant W Reed, Director of the Cleveland Clinic’s STEMI program, to reflect on the actions they took and the challenges of delaying cardiovascular procedures in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Dr Reed offers insight on the factors that influenced the Cleveland Clinic’s STEMI policy for COVID-19. Ankur and Grant discuss the triage considerations for patients with structural heart disease and the steps the clinic took to protect its healthcare workers. In this week’s Parallax Dr Kalra and Dr Reed are addressing questions in the wake of Cleveland Clinic’s decision to reopen services for essential procedures. Which cardiac operations should be performed? What is the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on cardiac surgery? How