Abstract
IntroductionA reduction in the number of interventional cardiology procedures has emerged as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey was performed to quantify this decrease and the impact on the management of myocardial infarction in Latin America.MethodsA telematic survey was conducted for all countries in Latin America. Diagnostic catheterisations, coronary and structural interventions, as well as the incidence and delay to reperfusion therapy of myocardial infarction (STEMI), were recorded. Two periods were compared: from 24 February to 8 March 2020 (pre-COVID-19) and another 2‑week period that varied according to country (COVID-19).ResultsResponses were obtained from 79 centres in 20 countries. There was a significant decrease in the number of diagnostic procedures (−65.2%), coronary interventions (−59.4%), structural therapeutics (−86.1%) and STEMI care (−51.2%). A decrease was noted in the incidence of STEMI, but also a delay in the time to STEMI reperfusion. While there was a variation in activity in interventional cardiology between countries, patient behaviour was rather homogeneous.ConclusionsA significant reduction in healthcare activity has been noted during the COVID-19 pandemic, including STEMI care, with the risk of increased mortality and/or morbidity following STEMI. Healthcare providers should encourage patients with suspected symptoms of STEMI to call for emergency care to ensure rapid diagnosis and timely reperfusion treatment.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s12471-020-01440-y) contains supplementary material which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
A reduction in the number of interventional cardiology procedures has emerged as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
The necessary quarantine measures have reduced people’s mobility and appear to have affected the number of high-risk patients consulting medical services and the delay in doing so. This new reality has recently been objectified in countries in Asia, Europe and North America, with fewer interventional cardiology procedures being performed during the pandemic [2,3,4]
The second block quantified the procedures: total number of coronary angiography (CAG) procedures, CAG performed in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS), total number of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), PCI for segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and structural interventions, before and after the introduction of quarantine measures as a result of the pandemic in the respective countries
Summary
A reduction in the number of interventional cardiology procedures has emerged as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The necessary quarantine measures have reduced people’s mobility and appear to have affected the number of high-risk patients consulting medical services and the delay in doing so. This new reality has recently been objectified in countries in Asia, Europe and North America, with fewer interventional cardiology procedures being performed during the pandemic [2,3,4]. In Latin America, the first COVID-19 cases were established later than in Asia and Europe, potentially altering patients’ demographics The impact of this pandemic on healthcare provision for non-COVID-19 patients in Latin America has not yet been assessed, especially for those with ACS. It is important to gather information about the impact of the COVID19 pandemic on interventional cardiology activity in Latin America
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