Aortic Dissection Awareness UK Cardiac Covid Study

This short video is to introduce the cardiac COVID study aimed at exploring the recovery process of patients having heart surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recovery from heart surgery is different for everyone but the added challenge of COVID-19 may impact on patients' physical and mental well-being. We wanted to explore this in patients having their heart surgery during the pandemic by asking them to complete three questionnaires relating to quality of life, depression and impact of events at one week after discharge and six weeks, six months and one year after surgery. For the cardiac COVID study we approached all adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery at St. Bartholomew's Hospital during the months of March to July, which corresponded to the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The response to the recruitment was immense and we have over 200 patients participating in this study. You're one of our participants, you'll be hearing from me soon. After my cardiac surgery in the COVID-19 pandemic and throughout recovery during the strange summer that followed, I really felt that I'd benefited from the teamwork of professionals and my family. When I was invited to join this study with the goal of helping those facing similar procedures, I was delighted to take part. As well as completing the simple questionnaires, I felt that it was important to participate in other activities that patients in similar times might also find beneficial. This study will be very valuable in helping in management of cardiac and aortic surgical patients in the rest of the pandemic period as well as future service planning. We are very grateful to all of those who have contributed including all the patients who are taking part and their relatives. Our aim is to provide regular updates on the progress of this study which will continue until about the end of 2021. Please do get in touch with us if you would like more information on this study or if you would like to receive the study newsletter. you