Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on percutaneous coronary interventions in Portugal
Carlos Galvão Braga1, Pedro Araújo Gonçalves2, Pedro Cardoso3
1Hospital de Braga, Braga, Portugal.
Insights
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) in Portugal. Procedures for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and chronic coronary syndromes (CCS) saw marked decreases during the initial outbreak.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Public Health
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted global healthcare systems.
- Interventional cardiology activity has been notably altered by the pandemic.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify and compare the volume of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) for acute and chronic coronary syndromes.
- To assess changes in PCI rates during the initial COVID-19 outbreak in Portugal compared to pre-pandemic periods.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Portuguese Registry on Interventional Cardiology (RNCI).
- Analyzed PCI procedures for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS), and chronic coronary syndromes (CCS).
- Compared PCI frequency from March 1 to May 2, 2020, with the average of the same period in 2017-2019.
Main Results:
- A significant overall decrease of 36% in PCI procedures was observed during the initial COVID-19 outbreak (p<0.001).
- Specific reductions included -25% for STEMI (p<0.019), -20% for NSTE-ACS (p<0.068), and -59% for CCS (p<0.001).
Conclusions:
- PCI procedures for STEMI and CCS experienced a substantial decline during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal.
- These findings highlight the significant disruption to essential cardiovascular interventions caused by the pandemic.
Introduction:
The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed an unprecedented burden on healthcare systems worldwide, changing the profile of interventional cardiology activity.
Objectives:
To quantify and compare the number of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) performed for acute and chronic coronary syndromes during the first COVID-19 outbreak with the corresponding period in previous years.
Methods:
Data on PCI from the prospective multicenter Portuguese Registry on Interventional Cardiology (RNCI) were used to analyze changes in PCI for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS) and chronic coronary syndromes (CCS). The number of PCIs performed during the initial period of the COVID-19 outbreak in Portugal, from March 1 to May 2, 2020, was compared with the mean frequency of PCIs performed during the corresponding period in the previous three years (2017-2019).
Results:
The total number of PCIs procedures was significantly decreased during the initial COVID-19 outbreak in Portugal (-36%, p<0.001). The reduction in PCI procedures for STEMI, NSTE-ACS and CCS was, respectively, -25% (p<0.019), -20% (p<0.068) and -59% (p<0.001).
Conclusions:
Compared with the corresponding period in the previous three years, the number of PCI procedures performed for STEMI and CCS decreased markedly during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal.
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