Managing urgent aortic-vascular problems in the COVID era

Professor Nick Cheshire, head of vascular surgery at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals and Professor Ihab Ali, associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Ain Shams University Hospital, Cairo discuss their approach to triaging patients in the face of a pandemic, including the diagnosis, risk assessment and management of individual patients with aortic-vascular problems.  

• Impact of COVID-19 on cardiac surgery patients in both institutions. 
• Risk stratification of patients with acute aortic syndrome. 
• Management of aortic dissections. 
• Pathways and triaging patients. 
• Effects of the pandemic on future practices. 

Professor Nick Cheshire is the head of vascular surgery at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals.  He is a specialist in stent design and manufacture, robotics and virtual reality, genomics and the role of technology in complex aortic disease. He leads on a national vascular skills training for surgeons, has research interests in robotically controlled endovascular intervention and pioneered stent graft repair of thoracic and thoraco-abdominal aneurysms in the UK.  

Professor Ihab Ali is an associate professor and consultant of cardio-thoracic surgery at Ain Shams University Hospital, Cairo. He has a clinical interest in aortic and aortic valve surgery, coronary artery bypass grafting, hybrid adult cardiac surgery procedures.  His role involves clinical work as well as teaching, training, clinical governance, board examinations and research.