Treatment delay and outcomes of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction treated by primary percutaneous coronary intervention during the COVID-19 era in South Korea.
Seok Oh, Myung Ho Jeong, Kyung Hoon Cho, Min Chul Kim, Doo Sun Sim, Young Joon Hong, Ju Han Kim, Youngkeun Ahn
Author Information
Seok Oh: Department of Cardiology, Chonnam National University Hospital, Gwangju, Korea.
Myung Ho Jeong: Department of Cardiology, Chonnam National University Hospital, Gwangju, Korea.
Kyung Hoon Cho: Department of Cardiology, Chonnam National University Hospital, Gwangju, Korea.
Min Chul Kim: Department of Cardiology, Chonnam National University Hospital, Gwangju, Korea.
Doo Sun Sim: Department of Cardiology, Chonnam National University Hospital, Gwangju, Korea.
Young Joon Hong: Department of Cardiology, Chonnam National University Hospital, Gwangju, Korea.
Ju Han Kim: Department of Cardiology, Chonnam National University Hospital, Gwangju, Korea.
Youngkeun Ahn: Department of Cardiology, Chonnam National University Hospital, Gwangju, Korea.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Little is known about the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in Korea during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era. We aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients with STEMI in the COVID-19 era. METHODS: A total of 588 consecutive patients with STEMI who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention were included in this study. The patients were categorized into the COVID-19 (from January 20, 2020 to December 31, 2020) and control groups (from January 20, 2019 to December 31, 2019). RESULTS: The COVID-19 group showed pre-hospital and in-hospital delays than the control group. The control group underwent more thrombus aspiration and had a higher proportion of left main coronary artery diseases, while the COVID-19 group had a higher proportion of multivessel diseases with a marked increase in the number and total length of stents than the control group. As for the prescribed medications, the COVID-19 group was administered more beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers, and statins than the control group. The clinical outcomes were comparable between the groups, except for higher incidences of atrioventricular block and temporary pacemaker implantation in the COVID-19 group. CONCLUSION: Reperfusion after STEMI treatment during the COVID-19 period was delayed; therefore, efforts should be made to improve on reperfusion.
