Authors
- Irzal Hadžibegović — University Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0002-3768-9134
- Ante Lisičić — University Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0002-4365-9652
- Mario Udovičić — University Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0001-9912-2179
- Miroslav Raguž — University Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0003-1567-8503
- Ilko Vuksanović — University Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0002-4462-8647
- Ognjen Čančarević — University Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0002-1285-8042
- Vanja Hulak-Karlak — University Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0003-0614-215X
- Ivana Jurin — University Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0002-2637-9691
- Aleksandar Blivajs — University Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0003-3404-3837
- Petra Vitlov — University Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0001-6983-1409
- Boris Starčević — University Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0002-3090-2772
Keywords
myocardial infarction, percutaneous coronary intervention, COVID-19
DOI
https://doi.org/10.15836/ccar2021.7Full Text
Background : COVID-19 pandemic has caused a worldwide situation of “missing patients” with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) suitable for a timely percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). ( 1 ) We aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on PCI in AMI (ST elevation + non ST elevation MIs) in a hospital included in the national primary PCI network and dedicated for COVID-19 patients from Mar 2020. Patients and Methods : We compared numbers, characteristics and outcomes of patients presenting with AMI and receiving timely percutaneous intervention in our hospital between two periods: Jan 2019 – Jan 2020 (“pre-COVID-19” era) and Mar 2020 – Dec 2020 (“COVID-19” era - 9 months period with mixed hospital organization: 4 months dedicated COVID-19 only hospital, and 5 months both non-COVID-19 and COVID-19 hospital). Results : In the pre-COVID-19 era we performed 434 PCIs in 505 patients with AMI who received urgent/early coronary angiography after admission (average monthly number of AMI suitable for revascularization: 42 patients), with in-hospital mortality of 3.7%. During the COVID-19 era there were 137 PCIs in 186 patients with AMI and urgent/early coronary angiography (average monthly number of AMI suitable for revascularization: 18 patients), with in-hospital mortality of 8%. During the COVID-19 era, there were 14 COVID-19 positive patients with acute AMI who underwent urgent angiography (8 received PCI and 6 were treated conservatively) and had in-hospital mortality of 28%. Conclusion : We found an astonishing 40% reduction in monthly rates of patients with AMI suitable for revascularization presenting to our hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. AMI patients that were treated with PCI during the pandemic era had significantly higher mortality, mostly influenced by a very high mortality rate of COVID-19 positive patients presenting with AMI. Comprehensive analysis of national primary PCI network organization and patient awareness of AMI during COVID-19 pandemic in Croatia is warranted.