Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on PCI Outcomes: A Single-center Retrospective Race and Gender-based Study

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Public Health
• Health Disparities

Background:

• African Americans (AAs) exhibit increased risk for post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) ischemic events and worse outcomes related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
• The impact of race and gender on post-PCI events before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in a community hospital setting remains understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare demographics and one-year adverse events in patients undergoing PCI immediately before (2018-2020) and during (2020-2021) the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To investigate race and gender-specific differences in post-PCI outcomes during the pandemic.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of patients undergoing PCI.
• Comparison of demographic data and one-year adverse events between non-AAs and AAs, stratified by pre-pandemic and pandemic periods.
• Statistical analysis to identify significant differences in outcomes.

Main Results:

• AAs were younger, with a higher prevalence of diabetes and acute coronary syndrome during the pandemic (P < 0.01).
• While total ischemic events remained similar, cardiovascular death and myocardial infarction rates increased during COVID-19 (P < 0.05), particularly among AAs.
• AA women experienced the highest incidence of ischemic events during the pandemic compared to other groups.

Conclusions:

• The study identifies a higher intrinsic thrombogenicity phenotype in African American women.
• These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions and further research into race and gender-specific cardiovascular risk during pandemics.