Consequences of COVID-19 pandemic on myocardial infarction reperfusion therapy and prognosis.

UNLABELLED: Background The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic affected the prompt diagnosis and treatment of Acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

AIM: To characterize the clinical profile of patients with AMI during the COVID-19 pandemic, comparing them with a historical cohort.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

A case-control study of 96 patients with AMI transferred to a high-volume percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) hospital between March and July 2020, and a historical cohort of 269 patients transferred during the same period in 2019.

RESULTS

When comparing patients transferred during the pandemic with those of the historical cohort, the former were younger (63 ± 12 vs 68 ± 12 years, p < 0.01), had a higher frequency of hypertension (66 vs 45%, p < 0.01) and of smoking (40% vs 25%, p < 0.01). Also, during COVID-19 outbreak a higher proportion of patients had ST-elevation AMI consulting > 12 hours from the onset of symptoms (44 vs 0%, p < 0.01), a higher median door-to-device time (4 vs 3 hours, p < 0.01), a higher use of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (97 vs 71%, p < 0.01), and higher frequencies of cardiogenic shock (20 vs 4%, p < 0.01) and mechanical complications (10% vs 2%, p < 0.01). Patients during COVID pandemic had a higher thirty-day overall (20 vs 1.4%, p < 0.01) and cardiovascular mortality (13 vs 1%, p < 0.01). During the outbreak, 40% of patients had positive COVID-19 status, which was a predictor for thirty-day overall mortality (Risk ratio 2.90; 95% confidence intervals 1.14-7.36).

CONCLUSIONS

During the pandemic patients with AMI exhibited delays in consultations and treatment, higher morbidity, and increased mortality. COVID-19 positivity was associated to worse thirty-day overall survival.