Myocardial Infarction Across COVID-19 Pandemic Phases: Insights From the Veterans Health Affairs System

Changes in the investigation and management of suspected myocardial infarction and injury during COVID-19: a multi-centre study using routinely collected healthcare data

Objective

The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a reduction in the incidence of myocardial infarction (MI) diagnosis, in part because patients were less likely to present to hospital. Whether changes in clinical decision making with respect to the investigation and management of patients with suspected MI also contributed to this phenomenon is unknown.

Methods

Multicentre retrospective cohort study in three UK centres contributing data to the National Institute for Health Research Health Informatics Collaborative. Patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) of these centres between 1st January 2020 and 1st September 2020 were included. Three time epochs within this period were defined based on the course of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: pre-pandemic (epoch 1), lockdown (epoch 2), post-lockdown (epoch 3).

Results

During the study period, 10,670 unique patients attended the ED with chest pain or dyspnoea, of whom 6,928 were admitted. Despite fewer total ED attendances in epoch 2, patient presentations with dyspnoea were increased (p < 0.001), with greater likelihood of troponin testing in both chest pain (p = 0.001) and dyspnoea (p < 0.001). There was a dramatic reduction in elective and emergency cardiac procedures (both p < 0.001), and greater overall mortality of patients (p < 0.001), compared to the pre-pandemic period. Positive COVID-19 and/or troponin test results were associated with increased mortality (p < 0.001), though the temporal risk profile differed.

Conclusions

The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with significant changes not just in presentation, but also the investigation, management, and outcomes of patients presenting with suspected myocardial injury or MI.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Long-Term Prognosis of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Japan

Background During the early phase of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a global reduction in hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was observed. Generally, patients experienced increased severity of AMI with delays in time from symptom onset to treatment during the pandemic. However, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on in-hospital mortality among patients with AMI remains unclear. This study aimed to compare the long-term prognosis of patients with AMI during the COVID-19 pandemic to that observed in the pre-pandemic period and to evaluate the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prognosis of patients with AMI. Methods We reviewed the data of patients admitted to our hospital for AMI treatment between April 1, 2018, and March 31, 2021. The time from admission to major adverse cardiac events (MACE), as well as the time from admission to all-cause death, were examined between the pandemic period (April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021) and the pre-pandemic period (April 1, 2018, to March 31, 2020). Results Eighty patients were included in the study, and those admitted during the pandemic exhibited a higher likelihood of advanced age, lower levels of LDL-cholesterol, and a reduced prevalence of hypertension. The 2.5-year MACE-free survival and overall survival rates between the patients during the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods were not significantly different. Conclusion The long-term prognosis of patients with AMI during the COVID-19 pandemic remains unclear. In this study, we reported that the 2.5-year MACE-free survival and overall survival rates of the patients with AMI admitted during the COVID-19 pandemic were not significantly different from those during the pre-pandemic period. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prognosis of patients with AMI appears to vary according to the study population.