Covid-19 & The Fontan Population

October 28, 2020

Welcome to the Canadian Fontan Website! We are very excited to be launching this website. We hope that this can be a one stop shop to meet all your needs with regards to all things Fontan related.

While most of us are tired of hearing about COVID-19, we couldn’t shy away from discussing it in our first blog post as it has inadvertently infiltrated normal life for all of us. While it has proven to be an extremely challenging time for everyone across the globe, its’ impact has been greatest on the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions. While complex congenital heart disease (CHD) patients, which includes our Fontan population are in general not at any particular increased risk of contracting the virus, they may have a more complicated course if they were to become ill with this virus.

Our understanding of COVID-19 has continued to evolve and it continues to be an ever changing landscape. As of right now, there is limited information about Fontan patients and COVID-19 as fortunately there have not been a large number of Fontan patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Our current recommendations for our Fontan patients is to continue best practices as per local public health guidelines and be extra vigilant.

What basic precautions should you take during the pandemic?

Wash your hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
If you don’t have soap, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol
Don’t touch your face with your hands before you wash your hands
Cough or sneeze into the crease of your elbow.
Clean and disinfectant surfaces you touch frequently
Keep a social distance of 2 meters (6 feet) from other people in public spaces.
Cover your nose and mouth with a cloth mask when out in public and around people not in your household, especially when you can not maintain social distancing.
Avoid people not wearing a cloth mask

Given that you may be at higher risk of complications if you acquire COVID-19, additional precautions can include:

Stay home as much as you can
Request that someone else do the shopping or shop online or do home delivery.
Consider pharmacy home delivery for your prescriptions.
You can (and should) go for a walk or run – remember to keep a social distance of 2 meters (6 feet) when you are out in public.

Is it safe for you to go back to work?

This is an individualized decision that can be made together with your family and ACHD team depending on the type of work and work environment.
Requests to make the work environment safer given your heart condition can be shared with your employer. These include personal protective equipment, putting up barriers like plexiglass or increasing space between employees, modifying work schedules to decrease contact with others, or moving your work space. Moving your work space can include working from home.

Should patients get INR levels checked to monitor their warfarin?

For patients who require regular blood sampling for warfarin monitoring, please continue to get this done.
We suggest that you make an appointment at the lab (versus dropping in) and maintain the 2 meters (6 feet) social distance with others in lineups and waiting rooms.

Should Fontan patients get the vaccine?

The usual contraindications to the vaccine that apply to the general population would also apply to the Fontan population.
There is no additional reason why a Fontan patient should not get the vaccine.
Fontan patients will become eligible as outlined by Public Health and vaccine roll out.