Twin peaks of in-hospital mortality among patients with STEMI across five phases of COVID-19 outbreak in China: a nation-wide study.

Lockdown and re-opening may become cyclical due to the recurrent waves of the COVID-19 epidemic. Few studies have examined temporal trends and determinants of in-hospital mortality among patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), a life-threatening condition that requires emergency medical care. Using nation-wide data before, during and after the Wuhan lockdown, we aimed to depict temporal patterns and major determinants of STEMI in-hospital mortality in China across five time periods of the COVID-19 epidemic. We analyzed the data of 283,661 STEMI patients who were admitted to 4,487 chest-pain-centers across China, from January 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020. Compared with the period before the lockdown, STEMI in-hospital mortality increased by 25% (OR 1.25, 95%CI 1.16-1.34) during Early Lockdown, by 12% (OR 1.12, 95%CI 1.03-1.22) during Later Lockdown, by 35% (OR 1.35, 95%CI 1.21-1.50) during Early Lift, and returned to pre-COVID risk (OR 1.04, 95%CI 0.95-1.14) during Later Lift. For each time-period, we observed a clear mortality gradient by timing and types of revascularization procedure. In conclusion, the COVID-19 epidemic had a significant adverse impact on STEMI in-hospital mortality, with bimodal peaks during early lockdown and early lift periods and clear mortality gradients by timing and types of revascularization procedure, independent of the time periods.

CSC Expert Consensus on Principles of Clinical Management of Patients With Severe Emergent Cardiovascular Diseases During the COVID-19 Epidemic.

In response to the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China, the Chinese Society of Cardiology (CSC) issued this consensus statement after consulting with 125 medical experts in the fields of cardiovascular disease and infectious disease. The over-arching principles laid out here are the following: 1) Consider the prevention and control of COVID-19 transmission as the highest priority, including self-protection of medical staff; 2) Patient risk assessment of both infection and cardiovascular issues. Where appropriate, preferential use of conservative medical therapeutic approaches to minimize disease spread; 3) At all times, medical practices and interventional procedures should be conducted in accordance with the directives of the infection control department of local hospitals and local health commissions.