Influence of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction in Taiwan

The outbreak of the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has notably affected the medical system worldwide and influenced the health-seeking behavior of people while depleting medical resources, causing a delay in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) management In this single-center, retrospective cohort study, we compared the clinical pictures of nontransfer patients who presented to the emergency department directly and received primary percutaneous cardiovascular intervention (PPCI) from February 1 to April 30, 2020 (group 2, N = 28), with patients who received PPCI from February 1 to April 30, 2016–2019 (group 1, N = 130) A total of 158 patients with STEMI who received PPCI were included in the study A decrease in the percentage of patients with door-to-balloon time <90 minutes was found in group 2 (64 3% vs 81 5%, p = 0 044) The adjusted odds ratio was calculated using logistic regression, according to potential confounding factors such as age, sex, off-hours, and Killip class An adjusted odds ratio of 2 45 (95% confidence interval, 1 1–6 0, p = 0 048) was reported for group 2 A decrease in the percentage of patients meeting the criteria of door-to-balloon time <90 minutes was demonstrated, and differences were revealed in the clinical pictures of patients with STEMI after the pandemic While systemic factors contributed the most, improvements and adjustments in the protocols for managing patients with STEMI for better outcomes in the COVID-19 era have yet to be studied [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Emergency Medicine International is the property of Hindawi Limited and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )