Abstract 14142: Trends in Cardiovascular Services and Procedure Volumes Across Different Phases of the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Analysis of 2019- 2022

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic's impact on cardiovascular (CV) services globally was variable, with little data on trends from South Asia. Hypothesis: We hypothesized changes in trends of CV services delivery and procedure volumes from 2019-2022. We aimed to assess the pandemic's impact at a Bangladesh tertiary cardiac centre. Methods: Data on patient visits, admissions, procedures and catheterization volumes were collected from January 2019 to February 2022. Differences for each month of the preceding year were expressed as a percentage (%Δ). Trends (2019 to 2022) were graphically depicted via line diagrams. Results: Significant reductions of cardiology services occurred in 2020, especially ER visits (Δ-59.5%; p<0.001). Patient and procedure volumes reached almost pre-pandemic levels by Q1 of 2021. A decline of admissions and procedures was seen in March-April 2021 as compared with 2020, coinciding with the Delta variant. By Q4 of 2021, patient visits, outpatient procedures and catheterization volumes had reached near pre-pandemic levels again. During the Omicron surge (Q1 of 2022), a small decline in outpatient visits (Δ-10.9%) and procedures (Δ-6.83%) was seen. However, in-patient admissions (Δ4.39%) and catheterization procedures (Δ5.7%) showed a rise in February 2022, compared to January, with ER visits showing the steepest rise (Δ 41.9%). Although ER visits remained relatively blunted post-pandemic (2020-2021), this trend was not reflected in outpatient visits/procedures, admissions and catheterization procedures, which all increased to pre-pandemic levels by end 2021. Conclusion: Two years on from the pandemic, cardiology services and cath lab volumes have reached almost pre-pandemic levels in 2022, except for ER visits which remained low, albeit gradually rising. Procedure volumes reduced during the Delta variant, but not during the Omicron surge, a positive indication of the learning and adaptability of healthcare system to surges.