| Popis: |
Objective: To assess whether the COVID-19 lockdown might have had negative indirect health effects, as people seem to have been reluctant to seek medical care. Methods: All emergency medical service (EMS) rides for chest pain and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in the Dutch region Hollands-Midden (population served >800.000) were evaluated during the initial 6 weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown and compared to the same period in 2019 in two cohorts. The primary end-point was the incidence of evaluated chest pain patients during the COVID-19 lockdown. In addition, the incidence of EMS evaluations of ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and OHCA were assessed.Results: During the COVID-19 lockdown period, the EMS evaluated 927 chest pain patients (49% male, 62±17 years) as compared to 1041 patients (51% male, 63±17 years) in the same period in 2019 corresponding with a significant relative risk reduction of 0.88 (95% CI 0.81-0.96; P=0.006). Similarly, there was a significant reduction in the incidence of STEMI patients (RR 0.52; P=0.009) whereas the incidence of OHCA (RR 1.23; P=0.29) remained unchanged. Conclusion: During the COVID-19 lockdown, there was a significant decrease in patients with chest pain evaluated by the EMS paralleled by a reduction in STEMIs, while the incidence of OHCA remained similar. While the reason for the decrease in chest pain and STEMI consultations is not entirely clear, more attention should be drawn to the importance of contacting the EMS in case of suspected cardiac symptoms in possible future lockdowns. |
