Impact of COVID-19 on incidence and outcomes of post-infarction mechanical complications in Europe

Daniele Ronco*, Matteo Matteucci, Justine Mafalda Ravaux, Mariusz Kowalewski, Giulio Massimi, Federica Torchio, Cinzia Trumello, Shiho Naito, Nikolaos Bonaros, Michele De Bonis, Dario Fina, Adam Kowalówka, Marek Deja, Federica Jiritano, Giuseppe Filiberto Serraino, Jurij Matija Kalisnik, Carlo De Vincentiis, Marco Ranucci, Theodor Fischlein, Claudio Francesco RussoMassimiliano Carrozzini, Udo Boeken, Nikolaos Kalampokas, Michele Golino, Roberto De Ponti, Matteo Pozzi, Jean-François Obadia, Matthias Thielmann, Roberto Scrofani, Stefania Blasi, Giovanni Troise, Carlo Antona, Andrea De Martino, Giosuè Falcetta, Guglielmo Actis Dato, Paolo Severgnini, Andrea Musazzi, Roberto Lorusso

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Post-acute myocardial infarction mechanical complications (post-AMI MCs) represent rare but life-threatening conditions, including free-wall rupture, ventricular septal rupture and papillary muscle rupture. During the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, an overwhelming pressure on healthcare systems led to delayed and potentially suboptimal treatments for time-dependent conditions. As AMI-related hospitalizations decreased, limited information is available whether higher rates of post-AMI MCs and related deaths occurred in this setting. This study was aimed to assess how COVID-19 in Europe has impacted the incidence, treatment and outcome of MCs. METHODS: The CAUTION-COVID19 study is a multicentre retrospective study collecting 175 patients with post-AMI MCs in 18 centres from 6 European countries, aimed to compare the incidence of such events, related patients' characteristics, and outcomes, between the first year of pandemic and the 2 previous years. RESULTS: A non-significant increase in MCs was observed [odds ratio (OR)?=?1.15, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.85-1.57; P?=?0.364], with stronger growth in ventricular septal rupture diagnoses (OR?=?1.43, 95% CI 0.95-2.18; P?=?0.090). No significant differences in treatment types and mortality were found between the 2 periods. In-hospital mortality was 50.9% and was higher for conservatively managed cases (90.9%) and lower for surgical patients (44.0%). Patients admitted during COVID-19 more frequently had late-presenting infarction (OR?=?2.47, 95% CI 1.24-4.92; P?=?0.010), more stable conditions (OR?=?2.61, 95% CI 1.27-5.35; P?=?0.009) and higher EuroSCORE II (OR?=?1.04, 95% CI 1.01-1.06; P?=?0.006). CONCLUSIONS: A non-significant increase in MCs incidence occurred during the first year of COVID-19, characterized by a significantly higher rate of late-presenting infarction, stable conditions and EuroSCORE-II if compared to pre-pandemic data, without affecting treatment and mortality.
Original languageEnglish
Article numberivad198
Number of pages9
JournalInterdisciplinary CardioVascular and Thoracic Surgery
Volume37
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 5 Dec 2023

Keywords

  • Acute myocardial infarction
  • COVID-19
  • Cardiac rupture
  • Papillary muscle rupture
  • Ventricular septal rupture

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