Effects of COVID-19 on STEMI Patients: Single-Center Experience

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted healthcare systems globally.
• Understanding its effect on acute cardiovascular events like STEMI is crucial for patient care and resource allocation.
• Previous studies have shown varied impacts of the pandemic on STEMI incidence and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the volume of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients.
• To assess changes in STEMI patient characteristics, door-in-to-door-out (DIDO) time, and door-to-balloon (D2B) time during the pandemic.
• To analyze the impact of the pandemic on STEMI patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of patient data from King Hamad University Hospital and Mohammed Bin Khalifa Cardiac Centre in Bahrain.
• Comparison of data from two periods: pre-pandemic (January 2019-March 2020) and during the pandemic (April 2020-June 2021).
• Assessment of patient demographics, DIDO time, D2B time, and 30-day outcomes including mortality, reinfarction, and hospital readmission.

Main Results:

• A 11.1% decline in STEMI patient volume was observed during the pandemic.
• Fewer STEMI cases achieved recommended DIDO (7.1%) and D2B (35.7%) times during the pandemic.
• No significant differences were found in 30-day mortality, reinfarction, cardiogenic shock, length of stay, or 30-day readmission rates between the two periods.

Conclusions:

• The COVID-19 pandemic led to a reduction in STEMI patient presentations and adherence to treatment time guidelines.
• Despite delays in DIDO and D2B times, patient outcomes such as mortality and reinfarction did not significantly worsen.
• This suggests that while pandemic conditions posed challenges to timely STEMI care, clinical outcomes were maintained.