COVID-19 Pandemic and Volume of Cardiac Catheterization Procedures in Jordan: Impact of Strict Lockdown

INTRODUCTION: Global surge of COVID-19 forced most countries to impose variable measures to curb the disease. Jordan imposed one of the strictest lockdowns from mid-March through April 2020. Hospitals deferred elective cardiac catheterization procedures and most of those performed during that period were limited to urgent presentations. Our purpose is to evaluate the impact of strict lockdown on cardiac catheterization procedural volume. METHODS AND RESULTS: We collected data about the numbers of all coronary angiography (CA) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures performed in 5 tertiary care hospitals in Amman, Jordan, from January through June 2020. We compared the volume of procedures performed in April 2020 (the strict lockdown month) to the corresponding period of prior year (April 2019) and to volumes performed prior to the lockdown in January–February 2020. There was a 64% decline in CA and PCI volumes in April 2020 compared to April 2019. Comparing number of procedures performed in April 2020 to those in January–February 2020, there was 59% decline in CA and a 60% decline in PCI volumes. Following partial lifting of lockdown in May–June 2020, procedural volumes increased gradually. CONCLUSION: Strict COVID-19-related lockdown in Jordan was associated with drastic declines in cardiac catheterization procedural volumes.