Rapid triage and transition to telehealth for heart transplant patients in the COVID-19 pandemic setting

Background In the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic, a rapid uptake of telehealth services was instituted with the aim of reducing the spread of disease to vulnerable patient populations including heart transplant recipients. Methods Single-center, cohort study of all heart transplant patients seen by our institution's transplant program during the first 6 weeks of transition from in-person consultation to telehealth (23 March - 5 June 2020). Results Face-to-face consultation allocation strongly favored patients in the early post-operative period (34 vs. 242 weeks post-transplant; p < 0.001). Telehealth consultation dramatically reduced patient travel and wait times (80 min per visit saved in telehealth patients). No apparent excess re-hospitalization or mortality was seen in telehealth patients. Conclusions With appropriate triage, telehealth was feasible in heart transplant recipients, with videoconferencing being the preferred modality. Patients seen face-to-face were those triaged to be higher acuity based on time since transplant and overall clinical status. These patients have the expected higher rates of hospital re-admission, and therefore should continue to be seen in person.

Automated summary

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth services were rapidly implemented to reduce disease transmission among vulnerable heart transplant recipients. A cohort study showed that telehealth consultations significantly reduced patient travel and wait times, without an apparent increase in re-hospitalization or mortality. In summary, telehealth was found to be feasible and preferred in heart transplant recipients, with higher acuity patients still requiring in-person consultations.