Observational study on chest pain during the Covid-19 pandemic: changes and characteristics of visits to a Norwegian emergency department during the lockdown

BACKGROUND: Following the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, reports emerged on decreasing emergency department (ED) visits in many countries. Patients experiencing chest pain was no exception. The aim of the current study was to describe how the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequential lockdown impacted the chest pain population in a Norwegian ED. METHODS: All patients presenting to the ED with chest pain during the study period were included. Data were collected retrospectively from the time period January 6(th) to August 30(th), 2020, and compared to the corresponding period in 2019, assessing variations in the number of ED visits, severity, gender, and age. RESULTS: Fewer patients with chest pain were seen in the ED following the national lockdown in Norway, compared to the corresponding 2019 period (week 13: 38% fewer; weeks 11–27: 16% fewer). By week 28, the rate normalized compared to 2019 levels. There was a relative increase in lower acuity patients among these patients, while fewer moderate acuity patients were seen. During the initial period following lockdown, the median age was lower compared to the corresponding 2019 period (58 years (IQR 25) vs 62 years (IQR 24), respectively). Admissions due to acute coronary syndromes (ACS) remained proportionally stable. CONCLUSIONS: Succeeding the Covid-19 outbreak and the subsequent national lockdown in Norway, fewer chest pain patients presented to the ED. Paradoxically, the patients seemed to be less severely ill and were on average younger compared to 2019 data. However, the proportion of patients admitted with ACS was stable during this period. This could imply that some patients may have failed to seek medical advice despite experiencing a myocardial infarction.