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For the best outcomes, seeking care within the first 90 minutes of heart attack symptoms is critical, and delaying care can lead to complications or increased mortality.
Data were abstracted from the Ascension Health System’s internal NCDR CathPCI registry between March 2018 and June 2021 across 42 centers throughout America.
The timing of the COVID-19 pandemic was assessed with county-level COVID prevalence. A segmented regression analysis with a monthly interrupted time-series utilizing a linear regression model to quantify expected heart attack cases before and after the COVID-19 onset was performed.
The segmented regression showed 194 STEMI PCIs done monthly (95% CI 182-207, p
“Our network of PCI centers across the country gives us unique access to data that independent centers may not have,” said Manoj Thangam, MD, Interventional Cardiologist at Ascension Texas Cardiovascular in Austin, Texas, and lead author of the study.
Despite rates rising, we’ve never gotten back to our pre-COVID baseline which probably tells us there is still hesitation to come to the hospital despite having a major heart attack.
Researchers note a need for continued analysis of other potential consequences and ramifications of untreated STEMI patients that may result in increased mortality, heart failure, and morbidities in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: Medindia
