Thrombus Burden and Outcomes in Patients With COVID-19 Presenting With STEMI Across the Pandemic

Abstract

BackgroundIt has been previously reported during the first COVID-19 outbreak that patients presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and concurrent COVID-19 infection have increased thrombus burden and poorer outcomes. To date, there have been no reports comparing the outcomes of COVID-19–positive STEMI patients across all waves of the pandemic. ObjectivesThis study compared the baseline demographic, procedural, and angiographic characteristics alongside the clinical outcomes of patients presenting with STEMI and concurrent COVID-19 infection across the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. MethodsThis was a single-center, observational study of 1,269 consecutive patients admitted with confirmed STEMI treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (between January 3, 2020 and October 3, 2022). COVID-19–positive patients were split into 3 groups based upon the time course of the pandemic, and a comparison was made between waves. ResultsA total of 154 COVID-19–positive patients with STEMI were included in the present analysis and were compared with 1,115 COVID-19–negative patients. Early during the pandemic (wave 1), STEMI patients presenting with concurrent COVID-19 infection had high rates of cardiac arrest, evidence of increased thrombus burden, bigger infarcts, and worse outcomes. However, by wave 3, no differences existed in outcomes between COVID-19–positive and –negative patients, with significant differences compared with earlier COVID-19–positive patients. Poor outcomes later in the study period were predominantly in unvaccinated individuals. ConclusionsSignificant changes have occurred in the clinical characteristics, angiographic features, and outcomes of STEMI patients with COVID-19 infection treated by primary percutaneous coronary intervention during the course of the pandemic. Importantly, outcomes of recent waves and in vaccinated individuals are no different to a non–COVID-19 population.