Cardiac surgery in Australia during the COVID-19 global pandemic

In this issue of Heart, Lung and Circulation, McNamara and colleagues report a 21% reduction in the cardiac surgical caseload from a single centre during the first Australian wave of the COVID-19 pandemic from March to June 2020. Globally, elective cardiac surgery ground to a halt and as the pandemic rapidly escalated, centres in Australia and New Zealand were able to benefit from the collective experiences of those in the United Kingdom (UK), Canada, Italy and the United States. A year on, we now have the benefit of not only understanding the immediate effect of pandemic surge but also the implications of elective surgery cancellations in the context of revising the definition of cardiac surgical urgency. As the pandemic continues to unfold, it is essential that we emphasise the importance of the acute benefits of cardiac surgery, that in contrast to many other elective surgeries, disproportionately saves lives.