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Reduction of admissions for urgent and elective pacemaker implant during the COVID-19 outbreak in Northern Italy

Gabriele Dell'Era1, Crizia Colombo1, Giovanni B Forleo2

  • 1Ospedale Maggiore della Carità Hospital, Novara.

Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine (Hagerstown, Md.)
|September 21, 2021
PubMed

Insights

The COVID-19 outbreak led to fewer urgent pacemaker implantations in Northern Italy, particularly after the national lockdown. This reduction was most pronounced in patients residing in rural areas.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted healthcare utilization for various conditions.
  • Previous studies noted decreased hospitalizations for acute coronary syndromes during the pandemic.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if the COVID-19 outbreak influenced admissions for urgent pacemaker implantation.
  • To compare urgent pacemaker implant rates before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Italy.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective study analyzed 1315 patients across 18 hospitals in COVID-19 hotspots in Northern Italy.
  • Hospitalization rates for urgent pacemaker implants were compared between February 20-April 20, 2020 (case period) and control periods in 2020 and 2019.

Main Results:

  • Urgent pacemaker implant rates significantly decreased during the COVID-19 case period (5.0/day) compared to intra-year (6.0/day) and inter-year (5.8/day) controls.
  • The reduction in implants was most significant post-national lockdown.
  • Fewer rural residents required urgent pacemaker implants during the case period (36%) compared to controls (47-51%).
  • Elective pacemaker implantations also saw a substantial decrease of 45-49% during the case period.

Conclusions:

  • The COVID-19 outbreak negatively impacted emergency department presentations for bradyarrhythmias requiring urgent pacemaker implantation in Northern Italy.
  • This effect was more pronounced after the national lockdown and among patients from rural areas.
  • Healthcare-seeking behavior for urgent cardiac conditions was altered during the pandemic.
Abstract

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