Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown in Decompensated Heart Failure Hospitalizations

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic lockdown may have collaterally affected the care of patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). We aimed to evaluate the impact of lockdown pandemic on hospitalizations for ADHF. METHODS: We conducted a single-center study, performing a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. We included consecutive adult patients with a primary diagnosis of ADHF admitted to a cardiovascular disease specialized hospital. We compared those patients admitted between March–June of 2019 (before COVID-19 [BC]) and 2020 (after COVID-19 [AC]), during mandatory lockdown. RESULTS: A total 79 corresponding to BC period and 60 to AC period were included, representing a decrease of 25% (interquartile range [IQR], 11–33). During the BC period, 31.6% of patients were referred from other centers compared to 15% during the pandemic (p=0.02). In the AC period patients were older (median age, 81[IQR, 73–87] years vs. 77 [IQR, 64–84] years, p=0.014). The etiology of HF, cause of decompensation, left ventricular function, and laboratory parameters were similar in both periods. The use of mechanical ventilation (13.9% vs. 3.3%, p=0.03) and circulatory support (7.6% vs. 0%, p=0.02) was higher in the BC period. During the BC period, 5 emergency heart transplants were performed, and none in AC, (p=0.004). In-hospital mortality was similar in both periods (3.8% vs. 3.3%; p=0.80). CONCLUSIONS: We observed a reduction in the number of hospitalizations and referral of patients for ADHF during COVID-19 pandemic.