Reduction in ST-Segment Elevation Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory Activations in the United States during COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 Pandemic has significantly impacted the US healthcare system. To preserve resources, including personal protective equipment (PPE) and hospital beds to care for COVID-19 patients, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended deferral of elective cardiac procedures (1), including coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention for stable coronary artery disease. Timely reperfusion by means of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) is the standard of care for STEMI patients (2). The Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) continue to recommend PPCI as the standard treatment of STEMI patients during the current pandemic (3). However, anecdotal reports suggest a decline in PPCI volumes in the US and around the world (4). To determine if a decrease in PPCI is occurring in the US in the COVID-19 era, we analyzed and quantified STEMI activations for 9 high-volume ( over 100 PPCI per year) cardiac catheterization laboratories in the US from January 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020.