Early Observations during COVID-19 pandemic in cardiac catheterization procedures for ST Elevation Myocardial Infarctions (STEMI) across Ontario

Abstract In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario issued a declaration of emergency, implementing public health interventions on March 16, 2020. We compared cardiac catheterization procedures for STEMI between January 1 and May 10, 2020 to the same timeframe in 2019. From March 16 to May 10, 2020, after implementation of provincial directives, STEMI cases significantly decreased by up to 25%. The proportion of patients achieving guideline targets for FMC-balloon for PPCI decreased substantially to 28% (Median 101 min) for patients presenting directly to a PCI-site and to 37% (Median 149 min) for patients transferred from a non-PCI site, compared to 2019. STEMI cases across Ontario have been substantially impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.