Outcomes of patients with ST-segment myocardial infarction admitted during the COVID-19 pandemic: A prospective, observational study from a tertiary care center in Germany

BACKGROUND: Since the beginning of the SARS-CoV‑2 outbreak, healthcare professionals reported that patients admitted with ST-segment myocardial infarction (STEMI) were in worse condition compared to STEMI patients admitted before the outbreak. However, data on their outcomes are sparse. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, observational, cohort study of STEMI patients admitted during the COVID-19 pandemic from March 21, 2020 to July 31, 2020 (COVID-19 group). Clinical outcomes, 30-day mortality, and reasons potentially related to a delay in patient presentation were assessed and compared with STEMI patients admitted between November 1, 2019 and March 20, 2020 (pre-COVID-19 group). RESULTS: A total of 124 patients were enrolled, comprising 57 patients in the pre-COVID-19 group and 67 patients in the COVID-19 group. Significantly more patients in the COVID-19 group had a time to first medical contact of greater than 24 h. Additionally, those admitted during the pandemic had a significantly lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), worse thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow, received circulatory support significantly more often, and had a significantly higher 30-day mortality. Furthermore, significantly more patients stated that “information by the media” made them hesitate to contact the emergency medical services as soon as possible. CONCLUSION: Here, we show that STEMI patients admitted during the COVID-19 pandemic had significantly prolonged times to first medical contact, were in worse condition at admission, and had an increased 30-day mortality. Additionally, we found that “information by the media” made patients during COVID-19 hesitate to contact the emergency medical services. Consequently, public health strategies have to be developed to avoid potential excess mortality of STEMI patients during the pandemic. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version of this article (10.1007/s00059-021-05058-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.