Fausto J. Pinto spoke with Inside Now, the News Farma platform dedicated to discussing the new reality of hospital services, about the Cardiology situation in the current pandemic phase.
“Obviously, the pandemic would have to have an impact on all areas of health, since it is something new”, and the cardiovascular area was no exception. The question was, what was the real impact of this pandemic on cardiovascular diseases, after the initial assessment of the needs of hospitals was made. “We had several moments here”, says Fausto J. Pinto, “an initial moment when we didn't know exactly what was going to happen”. At first, during the first weeks, there was a suspension of elective activity, with urgent activity being active. However, as of May, the cardiology of the Northern Lisbon Hospital Centre established a plan for the recovery of all activity not only in cardiology, but also in cardiothoracic and cardiovascular surgeries. The “response capacity was very good”, according to the Director of the Faculty of Medicine. “In such a way that we were even able to shorten waiting lists and ultimately respond to the needs in a critical area”.
Fausto J. Pinto also mentioned the fear that people with acute problems had about going to hospitals, with very complicated results. At that time, primary angioplasties (the most appropriate way to treat myocardial infarction) decreased by half, for example, “what happened was that people did not come or came at a very late stage, with complications resulting from the evolution of disease, which could have been treated at an early stage”. "This problem still exists, but less than at the beginning of the pandemic". It is important for the population to know that, if there is an acute problem, it is safe to come to hospitals, "hospitals are perfectly adapted to be able to respond to any covid or non-covid situation".
Fausto J. Pinto also referred to a second pandemic, equally serious, “the disinformation pandemic” through a series of fake news that brought some instability.
Cardiovascular patients are part of the group of people who are most likely to develop illness resulting from SARS CoV-2 infection.
Fausto J. Pinto ended by referring to the vaccine obtained "in record time" and which translates into an "achievement of Science". “Vaccination should be a priority at this point” and it is the only way to obtain group immunity.
Watch this interview here.
