On May 16, 2020, I spoke about Heart Failure and Arrhythmia in the context of COVID-19 for the Philippine Heart Assocation’s Council on Pharmacotherapy. Moderated by Dr. Richard Henry Tiongco II and Dr. Maria Concepcion Sison, the webinar also featured Dr. Rontgene Solante (Infectious Disease), Dr. Lara Alentajan-Aleta (Immunology) and Dr. Imelda Caole-Ang (Cardiology) as speakers. The video was streamed through a Zoom Webinar and Facebook Live (see below).
Take away messages were simple:
- Most stable heart failure and arrhythmia patients should be discouraged from going to the hospital and just follow up via telemedicine.
- COVID-19 is associated with arrhythmia and acute decompensation of heart failure. It is also known to cause acute heart failure in patients without known HF before.
- Heart failure is a risk factor for poor prognosis in COVID infection.
Dr. Mic Agbayani 