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Decreases in cardiac catheter laboratory workload during the COVID-19 level 4 lockdown in New Zealand
John M Elliott1,2, Ian G Crozier2
1Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Insights
During New Zealand
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Public Health
Background:
- COVID-19 pandemic led to Level 4 lockdown in New Zealand.
- Impact of lockdowns on healthcare services is a growing concern.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate changes in coronary and electrophysiology (EP) procedures during the COVID-19 Level 4 lockdown.
- To compare procedure volumes pre-lockdown and during lockdown.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of cardiac procedure data.
- Comparison of procedure numbers in the 4 weeks prior to lockdown versus the lockdown period.
- Comparison with the corresponding period in the previous year (2019).
Main Results:
- Acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction procedures remained stable.
- In-patient angiograms and percutaneous intervention procedures decreased significantly (53% in 2020, 56% in 2019).
Conclusions:
- The COVID-19 lockdown caused a substantial reduction in elective cardiac procedures.
- Further research is needed to understand the reasons behind the decline in angiograms and percutaneous interventions.
Abstract:
An increase in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections prompted Level 4 lockdown throughout New Zealand from 25 March 2020. We have investigated trends in coronary and electrophysiology (EP) procedures before and during this lockdown. The number of acute procedures for ST elevation myocardial infarction remained stable. In contrast, the number of in-patient angiograms and percutaneous intervention procedures fell by 53% compared with the previous 4 weeks in 2020 and by 56% compared with the corresponding period in 2019. Further study is required to determine the reasons for these trends.
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