The new challenges of cardiology: a technology for everyone, which avoids inappropriate, useless and harmful hospital access

At the Winter School 2022 Of Naples, by title “Change health. Reinvent processes, roles and skills”, Organized by Healthcare engine, promoted and disclosed by Worldliness and Inside health and made with the unconditional contribution of Gilead, Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Almaviva, Daiichi Sankyo, GSK, IBM, Sanophy, Angelini Pharma, Kyowa Kirin, Siemens Healthineers and Teva, the new challenges of Italian cardiology have been told. In the front row theNational Association of Hospital Cardiologists (Anmco) who presented the picture in which he had to operate cardiology during the pandemic and what he is putting on the field to make the association itself capable of dealing with the new challenges that are being presented.

Here are some data

During the pandemic, cardiovascular diseases represented the first cause of mortality in our country, a mortality that in the case of myocardial infarction (IMA), has even been more than tripled due to the lack of arrival in the hospital or late arrival. Many patients, in fact, despite the appearance of the typical symptoms for an IMA have been afraid of accessing hospitals for the risk of contracting Covid 19 with a consequent reduction of 30-40% of hospitalizations. In other cases they have procrastined the arrival with a delay in access to life -saving and salvamusculus care, whose effectiveness is maximum if practiced in the early hours after the onset of symptoms.

All this determined a Increase in mortality from 4.1 to 13.7%, but with effects that unfortunately will continue over time and that will affect the quality of life of patients.

Cardiologists have witnessed dramatic choices that led to the transformation of operating units or beds of cardiology into Covid units, the movement of staff, the closure of clinics and rehabilitation cardiology structures, all this has led to and will determine a worsening of the quality of assistance, a lack of application of secondary prevention programs, capable of significantly affecting mortality and morbidity. The cardiological community responded to the appeal with the utmost availability by manifesting great propensity for the change that was requested, interpreting how, perhaps no other specialist, the role of governance in the management of the new departments created ad hoc.

The National Association of Hospital Cardiologists

The National Association of Hospital Cardiologists (Anmco), he replied from the beginning of the pandemic, implementing a series of Initiatives that have allowed the greater cardiologist serenity and skills in facing new daily emergencies. Documents have been published to deal with the problems that occurred during cardiological, ischemic or arrhythmic emergencies, in the clinic or in facing the cardiological complications of the infection from Covid 19. At the same time the President Furio Colivicchi with a view to Anmco Next Generation with which he has distinguished his mandate, he started a profound renewal of the association‘s structure, to make it capable of dealing with the new challenges who are presenting themselves and, developing the themes of the Digital Health, a commission for digital cardiology and a working group on artificial intelligence have been established. During this period they also developed spontaneously, often with craft means, methods of communication with patients.

WhatsApp, video calls, canvases have become phenomenal communication tools that have allowed patients to receive advice, information without leaving home.

“It is clear though – he underlined Carmine Riccio, National Vice President Anmco – That the direction of the change must continue by creating technical supports that also allow elderly people to make use of these systems: today it is possible to transmit an ECG remotely through smartphones, use surveillance and control garrisons in decompened patients, arrhythmic. However, technology must be made available for everyone, allowing to avoid inappropriate, useless and therefore harmful hospital access in the future“.