Incidence of mechanical complications following myocardial infarction during the first two months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Southern Poland region: a multicenter study

Abstract

KARDIOLOGIA POLSKA 2021; 79 (1) 66 instead of personal visits in outpatient clinics, the number of telehealth visits rose. 2 Over the past 30 years, there has been a reduction in mortality due to ischemic heart disease in Europe, largely due to early reperfusion treatment with primary percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) performed in acute ST -segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST -segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). 2,3 Early PCI was associated with favorable clinical outcomes and minimized the risk of complications of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). 2,3 Long -term prognosis following the treatment of STEMI and NSTEMI is affected by numerous factors, such as patients' comorbidities, as well as by time delay in obtaining interventional treatment. 2 Introduction Both in Poland and worldwide, the year 2020 was dominated by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS--CoV-2). 1 The first case of laboratory -confirmed SARS -CoV-2 infection was detected on March 4, 2020, and on March 10, 2020, the local transmission phase of SARS -CoV-2 in Poland was reported to the World Health Organization. On March 12, 2020, Polish authorities implemented lockdown -type control measures, such as closure of schools and universities, cancellation of mass events, and limitation of social gatherings. These restrictions caused social panic and patients avoided personal contact with medical professionals, even in emergency cases such as acute myocardial infarction. At the same time,