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Hydra, a Computer-Based Platform for Aiding Clinicians in Cardiovascular Analysis and Diagnosis
Published on: September 26, 2018
One train may hide another: Acute cardiovascular diseases could be neglected because of the COVID-19 pandemic
Fabien Huet1, Cyril Prieur2, Guillaume Schurtz3
1Department of Cardiology, Hôpital Universitaire de Montpellier, 34295 Montpellier, France; PhyMedExp, Université de Montpellier, Inserm U1046, CNRS UMR 9214, 34295 Montpellier, France.
Insights
COVID-19 containment measures in France led to a significant drop in cardiovascular admissions. This alarming trend may increase risks for patients with acute heart conditions, potentially causing severe outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Public Health
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has necessitated public health interventions like self-quarantine and social distancing.
- These containment measures, while crucial for reducing viral spread, may divert resources and attention from managing patients with critical cardiovascular conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of COVID-19 containment measures on the number of cardiovascular admissions in France.
- To identify potential consequences for patients with acute cardiovascular diseases during the pandemic.
Main Methods:
- Data on admissions for acute myocardial infarction and acute heart failure were collected from nine major French cardiology centers.
- Admissions were compared for the periods before (February 16-March 2, 2020) and after (March 17-22, 2020) the implementation of national containment measures.
Main Results:
- A significant decrease in daily admissions to intensive cardiac care units was observed after the containment measures were enacted.
- Average daily admissions dropped from 4.8±1.6 patients before containment to 2.6±1.5 patients after containment (P=0.0006).
Conclusions:
- The study confirms a dramatic reduction in cardiovascular admissions following COVID-19 containment measures.
- There is an urgent need to address the potential risks to patients with acute cardiovascular diseases, including increased risks of myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest, and mortality.
- Similar risks may affect patients with other acute conditions during public health crises.
Background:
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is likely to have significant implications for the cardiovascular care of patients. In most countries, containment has already started (on 17 March 2020 in France), and self-quarantine and social distancing are reducing viral contamination and saving lives. However, these considerations may only be the tip of the iceberg; most resources are dedicated to the struggle against COVID-19, and this unprecedented situation may compromise the management of patients admitted with cardiovascular conditions.
Aim:
We aimed to assess the effect of COVID-19 containment measures on cardiovascular admissions in France.
Methods:
We asked nine major cardiology centres to give us an overview of admissions to their nine intensive cardiac care units for acute myocardial infarction or acute heart failure, before and after containment measures.
Results:
Before containment (02-16 March 2020), the nine participating intensive cardiac care units admitted 4.8±1.6 patients per day, versus 2.6±1.5 after containment (17-22 March 2020) (rank-sum test P=0.0006).
Conclusions:
We confirm here, for the first time, a dramatic drop in the number of cardiovascular admissions after the establishment of containment. Many hypotheses might explain this phenomenon, but we feel it is time raise the alarm about the risk for patients presenting with acute cardiovascular disease, who may suffer from lack of attention, leading to severe consequences (an increase in the number of ambulatory myocardial infarctions, mechanical complications of myocardial infarction leading to an increase in the number of cardiac arrests, unexplained deaths, heart failure, etc.). Similar consequences can be feared for all acute situations, beyond the cardiovascular disease setting.
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