Impact of COVID-19 Upon Changes in Emergency Room Visits with Chest Pain of Possible Cardiac Origin (preprint)

ABSTRACT

BackgroundA decrease in Emergency Department (ED) visits for cardiac conditions has recently been reported from the US and Western Europe due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The data are still scant, and the correlation between cardiac symptoms and confirmed diagnoses are not available. There are no reports on changes in ED volumes at a national level, or from countries in the Asia-Middle Eastern region. MethodsWe report data from national referral centers for tertiary care and cardiac care centers in Qatar, which see >80% of cardiac emergencies in the country. ResultsWe analyzed 102,033 ED visits in the COVID-era (March-April 2020 and 2019) and determined the proportion presenting for cardiac symptoms and their confirmed diagnoses. We observed a 16-37% decline in ED volumes overall, with a 25-50% decline in patients presenting with cardiac symptoms in March-April 2020 compared with March-April 2019. Among those presenting with cardiac symptoms, we observed a 24-43% decline in cardiac diagnoses. ConclusionsA sharp decline in patients presenting with cardiac symptoms was observed in the COVID-era. A post-COVID surge in patients with these conditions may be anticipated and preparations should be made to address it.