Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on emergency reperfusion characteristics in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

ABSTRACT

Aim To explore the impact of coronavirus-2019 disease (COVID-19) pandemic on emergency reper-fusion characteristics in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) from non-epicenter. Methods This was a retrospective study involved STEMI patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI), who admitted to chest pain center in our hospital during the pandemic ( from January 23 to March 29 in 2020) and the same period in 2019, excluding the patients with COVID-19. Clinical characteristics and reperfusion parameters were compared between the two groups. Results A total of 64 STEMI patients undergoing PPCI were enrolled in our study, including 13 patients during the pandemic and 51 patients during the same period in 2019. No differences occurred in admission signs, GRACE scores, arrival periods, transferred patterns,the period from door to troponin,and the period from first medical contact to dual antiplatelet between the two groups ( P>0. 05). As compared with 2019, STEMI patients undergoing PPCI had an apparent reduction. Meanwhile, significant delays appeared in reperfusion parameters, in-cluding the period from symptom onset to first medical contact (10 h vs. 3. 0 h, P<0. 001), the period from first medical contact to electrocardiogram (6 min vs. 3 min, P<0. 001), the period from door to troponin (15 min vs. 12 min, P = 0. 048), the period from door to device (76 min vs. 62 min, P = 0. 017), the period from telephone to catheter activated (15 min vs. 5 min, P<0. 001) and the period from catheter arrival to device (52 min vs. 41 min, P = 0. 033). Conclusion Even in non-epicenter, the COVID-19 outbreak still delayed mechanical reperfusion significantly. © 2022, Editorial Office of Chinese Journal of Arteriosclerosis. All rights reserved.