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Will the hidden specter of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) emerge from the avalanche of COVID-19?
Kapoor, Aditya; Yadav, Rakesh.
  • Kapoor A; Dept of Cardiology, Sanjay Gandhi PGIMS, Lucknow, India. Electronic address: akapoor65@gmail.com.
  • Yadav R; Dept of Cardiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, India.
Indian Heart J ; 72(3): 192-193, 2020.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-436629
ABSTRACT
There has been a huge impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global healthcare systems. Advisories across the world have appealed to people to stay at home and observe social distancing to slow down the pandemic. However it is important to realize as to how this is affecting acute cardiovascular care. Recent studies from Europe and USA have reported > 50% reduction in hospital admissions for ACS and declining rates of coronary interventions. The possible reasons for this noticeable reduction in patients with ACS/STEMI during the COVID-19 pandemic are multi-factorial. On one hand, it is due to change in thresholds for referring patients of ACS/STEMI for cardiac catheterization, with fibrinolysis being acceptable for many stable STEMI patients and conservative management being preferred for NSTEMI patients. Theories abound on how "staying at home" strategy may have led to an reduction in acute coronary events due to healthier lifestyle, better compliance and reduced stress. Realistically however, a more disquieting reason would be a "pseudo-reduction" ie. the incidence of ACS/STEMI is actually the same, but these patients are staying away from hospitals due to fear of contracting the infection. Lockdown restrictions have also limited transport options for patients seeking to reach hospitals in time. Healthcare systems need to be prepared for an anticipated downstream deluge of such untreated patients who may present with sequelae like heart failure, reinfarction, arrhythmias, mechanical complications etc. Scientific societies should have proactive campaigns to alleviate patient concerns, and encourage them to seek timely medical attention despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Pneumonia, Viral / Coronavirus Infections / Acute Coronary Syndrome / Pandemics / ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction / Hospitalization Type of study: Diagnostic study / Observational study / Prognostic study / Randomized controlled trials Topics: Long Covid Limits: Female / Humans / Male Country/Region as subject: North America / Europa Language: English Journal: Indian Heart J Year: 2020 Document Type: Article

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Pneumonia, Viral / Coronavirus Infections / Acute Coronary Syndrome / Pandemics / ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction / Hospitalization Type of study: Diagnostic study / Observational study / Prognostic study / Randomized controlled trials Topics: Long Covid Limits: Female / Humans / Male Country/Region as subject: North America / Europa Language: English Journal: Indian Heart J Year: 2020 Document Type: Article