Whatsapp consultations in the department of electrophysiology of a public hospital of the City of Buenos Aires in times of COVID-19/ Consultas vía whatsapp en un servicio de electrofisiología de un hospital público de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires en tiempos de COVID-19

Background: Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is highly infectious. Telemedicine emerges as an option to keep patients within the healthcare system. Objective: The aim of this study was to implement WhatsApp consultations during 30 days in a hospital of the City of Buenos Aires (CABA) during the lockdown imposed due to COVID-19. Methods: Consultations via WhatsApp were analyzed for 30 consecutive days. A form was sent prior to telephone consultation with the specialist. A descriptive analysis of consultations and proposed follow-up plans was carried out. Results: A total of 263 consultations were performed in 205 patients. The average number of telephone consultations was 7.8 mes-sages. The most common topics for consultation were palpitations (12%) and influenza vaccine (11.7%). Follow-up was divided into groups: 1) Solved via WhatsApp: 154 patients; 2) Referred to a local hospital: 25; 3) Referred to our hospital: 26 patients. Conclusion: Telemedicine via WhatsApp can be developed in public hospitals of CABA, with a substantial reduction of in-person consultations.