Publication:

Effect of COVID-19 on congenital heart disease children: a literature review

Congenital heart diseases are the most common birth defects and have variable levels of severity. Some studies showed that CHD increases the odds of COVID-19 realted complications; however, others suggested that there is no such a correlation. Due to the aforementioned lack of evidence, we aim in this review to provide a comprehensive overview of the impact of COVID-19 infection on CHD patients. For that, an extensive literature search of Medline, Cochrane, and EMBASE databases was performed using the medical subject headings or a combination of all possible related terms. Patients diagnosed with both CHD and COVID-19 infection has reported that CHD patients, especially those with a genetic syndrome, are at high risk to develop moderate to severe symptoms. Moreover, CHD surgeries were postponed or even canceled, with a decline in overall admission days, due to hospital protocol or pateints’ decisions. Also, the findings suggested that congenital heart surgeries can be safely done during the pandemic when there is case volume limitation, with the safety precautions are followed by both surgical staff and patients. In conclusion, the scarce evidence along with the variety in CHD types and their different clinical presentations; makes it hard to predict the outcomes and to manage CHD-COVID-19 co-morbid children. More studies are needed to guide management plans in this particular context.