Coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) first presented in Wuhan, Hubei province, China in December 2019. Since then, it has rapidly spread across the world, and is now formally considered a pandemic. The disease does not discriminate but increasing age and the presence of comorbidities are associated with severe form of the disease and poor outcomes. Although the prevalence of COVID‐19 in patients with cardiovascular disease is under‐reported, there is evidence that pre‐existing cardiac disease can render individuals vulnerable. It is thought that COVID‐19 may have both a direct and indirect effect on the cardiovascular system; however, the primary mechanism of underlying cardiovascular involvement is still uncertain. Of particular interest is the role of angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2, which is well known for its cardiovascular effects and is also considered to be important in the pathogenesis of COVID‐19. With a range of different drug candidates being suggested, effective anti‐virals and vaccines are an area of on‐going research. While our knowledge of COVID‐19 continues to rapidly expand, this review highlights recent advances in our understanding of the interaction between COVID‐19 and the cardiovascular system.

Over the decades, the Frozen Elephant Trunk (FET) technique has gained immense popularity allowing simplified treatment of complex aortic pathologies. FET is frequently used to treat aortic conditions involving the distal aortic arch and the proximal descending aorta in a single stage. Surgical preference has recently changed from FET procedures being performed at Zone 3 to Zone 2. There are several advantages of Zone 2 FET over Zone 3 FET including reduction in spinal cord injury, visceral ischemia, neurological and cardiovascular sequelae. In addition, Zone 2 FET is a technically less complicated procedure. Literature on the comparison between Zone 3 and Zone 2 FET is scarce and primarily observational and anecdotal. Therefore, further research is warranted in this paradigm to substantiate current surgical treatment options for complex aortic pathologies. In this review, we explore literature surrounding FET and the reasons for the shift in surgical preference from Zone 3 to Zone 2.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Yuki, Fujiogi, & Koutsogiannaki, 2020). Since the introduction of COVID-19 to the human population in the Chinese city of Wuhan, it has spread rapidly across the globe and was officially considered a pandemic in March

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