Dr. Srinivas Murali, chairman of cardiovascular medicine at Allegheny Health Network, said 2020 was a frustrating time to be a heart doctor.

“The fear of COVID-19 and anxiety and the need to isolate oneself resulted in people not following through with their required scheduled appointments and people ignoring cardiac symptoms,” Murali said.

He said patients with coronary artery blockage, valve disease, heart failure and congenital heart defects, plus patients with risk factors for heart disease such as diabetes and high blood pressure, could suffer serious consequences by neglecting their cardiac conditions.“All of these people should see a cardiologist, although the frequency of visits is different,” Murali said. “Some we see once a month and some once a year, but they all should be seen.”He said many patients were too afraid to risk contracting COVID-19 in a doctor's waiting room or at their doctor's office if it is located inside a hospital.As a result, the number of heart attacks and people admitted to the hospital for heart issues dropped, but now that patients are returning to doctors' offices, many are finding themselves sicker.“The fatality rate from heart disease increased in 2020, for the first time in a decade,” Murali said. “The only way to explain that is that during the pandemic, people perhaps did not seek medical attention like they would have during other times.”He said cardiovascular doctors find that statistic frustrating, given the improvements in treatments, medications and technology over the past 10 years.Due to the importance of retaining a connection between cardiologists and their patients during the pandemic, AHN quickly set up tele-health video visits, so doctors could at least see their patients, answer their questions and address their concerns.“The limitation of the video visit is we can't examine the patient,” Murali said. “We had to rely on a conversation to make a decision.”He said some equipment, such as pacemaker monitors and apps that allow patients to complete an electrocardiogram at home, was available to determine a patient's condition, but it could not replace the basic examination.“Technology has really been helpful in assisting with the care of the patients,” Murali said, “especially when COVID-19 hit hard.”Murali said 80% of AHN's cardiovascular patients were seen through televisits at the height of the pandemic.“I do believe we favorably impacted patients with the video visits,” Murali said. “If that had not happened, I think the statistics would be even more profound.”He said now that the days of isolating at home are ending, only about 20% to 25% of patients see their cardiologists through video visits.Murali said all AHN cardiologists recommended their patients get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they were able, because those with heart disease, diabetes and other risk factors have a much higher risk of developing severe complications if they contract COVID-19.“We've had a pretty good response from our patients,” he said. “Some are concerned with the side effects of the vaccine, but the majority of patients have been willing and have listened to our recommendations.”In addition to cardiac patients, Murali said those who have had organ transplants or who are undergoing treatment for cancer should also be vaccinated.“The vaccine protects against serious illness, and most people understand that,” he said.Murali continues to encourage those with known heart ailments or who have cardiac symptoms to talk to their doctors to remain healthy as the pandemic wanes.“It's important that the public not ignore symptoms of heart disease,” he said.

Dr. Srinivas Murali