Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on percutaneous coronary interventions in Portugal

Abstract

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has imposed an unprecedented burden on healthcare systems worldwide, changing the profile of interventional cardiology activity. ObjectivesTo quantify and compare the number of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) performed for acute and chronic coronary syndromes during the first COVID-19 outbreak with the corresponding period in previous years. MethodsData on PCI from the prospective multicenter Portuguese Registry on Interventional Cardiology (RNCI) were used to analyze changes in PCI for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS) and chronic coronary syndromes (CCS). The number of PCIs performed during the initial period of the COVID-19 outbreak in Portugal, from March 1 to May 2, 2020, was compared with the mean frequency of PCIs performed during the corresponding period in the previous three years (2017–2019). ResultsThe total number of PCIs procedures was significantly decreased during the initial COVID-19 outbreak in Portugal (−36%, p<0.001). The reduction in PCI procedures for STEMI, NSTE-ACS and CCS was, respectively, −25% (p<0.019), −20% (p<0.068) and −59% (p<0.001). ConclusionsCompared with the corresponding period in the previous three years, the number of PCI procedures performed for STEMI and CCS decreased markedly during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal.