Treatment delay and outcomes of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction treated by primary percutaneous coronary intervention during the COVID-19 era in South Korea

Background/Aims Little is known about the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in Korea during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era. We aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients with STEMI...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Seok Oh, Myung Ho Jeong, Kyung Hoon Cho, Min Chul Kim, Doo Sun Sim, Young Joon Hong, Ju Han Kim, Youngkeun Ahn
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The Korean Association of Internal Medicine 2022-07-01
Series:The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:http://kjim.org/upload/pdf/kjim-2022-077.pdf
Description
Summary:Background/Aims Little is known about the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in Korea during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era. We aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients with STEMI in the COVID-19 era. Methods A total of 588 consecutive patients with STEMI who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention were included in this study. The patients were categorized into the COVID-19 (from January 20, 2020 to December 31, 2020) and control groups (from January 20, 2019 to December 31, 2019). Results The COVID-19 group showed pre-hospital and in-hospital delays than the control group. The control group underwent more thrombus aspiration and had a higher proportion of left main coronary artery diseases, while the COVID-19 group had a higher proportion of multivessel diseases with a marked increase in the number and total length of stents than the control group. As for the prescribed medications, the COVID-19 group was administered more beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers, and statins than the control group. The clinical outcomes were comparable between the groups, except for higher incidences of atrioventricular block and temporary pacemaker implantation in the COVID-19 group. Conclusions Reperfusion after STEMI treatment during the COVID-19 period was delayed; therefore, efforts should be made to improve on reperfusion.
ISSN:1226-3303
2005-6648