COVID-19 and STEMI: A snapshot analysis of presentation patterns during a pandemic
J J Coughlan, Napohn Chongprasertpon, Sacchin Arockiam, Samer Arnous, Thomas J. Kiernan
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has emerged as a major global public health emergency [1]. Many countries, including the Republic of Ireland, have instituted restrictions on their citizens in order to reduce the transmission of the virus [2,3], colloquially referred to as ‘lockdown’. Concern has been raised regarding an observed decrease in the number of ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) presentations during this period [4,5]. Numerous theories have been proposed regarding this phenomenon [4]. The most concerning hypothesis is that patients with symptoms of acute myocardial ischemia may not be presenting to medical attention due to lockdown measures or concern regarding COVID-19.