Rate of COVID-19 Infection in Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

BACKGROUND: The incidence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has not been fully described. METHODS: All patients with STEMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in Ontario, Canada between March 1 and September 30, 2020 were included. Rates of positive COVID-19 tests from January 1, 2020 to the date of STEMI presentation were ascertained. For comparison, COVID-19 results were also evaluated in the adult Ontario population between January 1, 2020 and September 30, 2020, using provincial laboratory testing data. RESULTS: There were 3606 unique patients presenting with STEMI and receiving PCI in Ontario, Canada during the study period. Sixteen patients (0.44%) tested positive for COVID-19. The background infection rate among all 12,448,541 Ontario residents was similar, at 0.34%. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this population-based analysis suggest that proceeding with primary PCI with appropriate infection control practices is reasonable when community infection rates are low.