| Literature DB >> 33768468 |
Alfonso Campanile1, Paolo Verdecchia2, Amelia Ravera3, Stefano Coiro4, Cristian Mattei4, Francesca Scavelli4, Luca Bearzot4, Ada Cutolo5, Marco Centola6, Stefano Carugo6, Salvatore De Rosa7,8, Federico Guerra9,10, Marco Marini9, Gian Piero Perna9, Ciro Indolfi7,8,11, Claudio Cavallini4.
Abstract
A significant decline in the admission to intensive cardiac care unit (ICCU) has been noted in Italy during the COVID-19 outbreak. Previous studies have provided data on clinical features and outcome of these patients, but information is still incomplete. In this multicenter study conducted in six ICCUs, we enrolled consecutive adult patients admitted to ICCU in three specific time intervals: from February 8 to March 9, 2020 [before national lockdown (pre-LD)], from March 10 to April 9, 2020 [during the first period of national lockdown (in-LD)] and from May 18 to June 17, 2020 [soon after the end of all containment measures (after-LD)]. Compared to pre-LD, in-LD was associated with a significant drop in the admission to ICCU for all causes (- 35%) and acute coronary syndrome (ACS; - 49%), with a rebound soon after-LD. The in-LD reduction was greater for women (- 49%) and NSTEMI (- 61%) compared to men (- 28%) and STEMI (- 33%). Length-of-stay, and in-hospital mortality did not show any significant change from to pre-LD to in-LD in the whole population as well as in the ACS group. This study confirms a notable reduction in the admissions to ICCUs from pre-LD to in-LD followed by an increment in the admission rates after-LD. These data strongly suggest that people, particularly women and patients with NSTEMI, are reluctant to seek medical care during lockdown, possibly due to the fear of viral infection. Such a phenomenon, however, was not associated with a rise in mortality among patients who get hospitalization.Entities:
Keywords: COVID-19; Intensive cardiac care unit
Mesh:
Year: 2021 PMID: 33768468 PMCID: PMC7993896 DOI: 10.1007/s11739-021-02718-8
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Intern Emerg Med ISSN: 1828-0447 Impact factor: 3.397
Hospital details and absolute number of patients admitted before, during and after the lockdown
| Hospital | City | Region | Geographical area | Number of beds in ICCU | Population served | Number of patients admitted during the whole study period | Pre-LD | In-LD | After-LD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi d’Aragona Hospital | Salerno | Campania | South | 8 | ≈ 1.107.000 | 197 | 78 | 30 | 89 |
| Mater Domini University Hospital | Catanzaro | Calabria | South | 11 | ≈ 450.000 | 94 | 51 | 18 | 25 |
| Santa Maria della Misericordia Hospital | Perugia | Umbria | Centre | 8 | ≈ 600.000 | 180 | 76 | 43 | 61 |
| Riuniti Hospital | Ancona | Marche | Centre | 9 | ≈ 645.000 | 45 | 15 | 9 | 21 |
| San Paolo and San Carlo Borromeo Hospital | Milano | Lombardia | North | 8 | ≈ 500.000 | 82 | 36 | 28 | 18 |
| Dell’Angelo Hospital | Mestre | Veneto | North | 8 | ≈ 300.000 | 208 | 63 | 79 | 66 |
Variables are expressed as absolute number
Pre-LD, in-LD and after-LD: before the lockdown, during the lockdown and after the lockdown period
Fig. 1Absolute number of admission, stratified by gender, before (Pre), during (In-LD), and after Lockdown (LD)
Fig. 2Absolute number of hospitalization, stratified by main admission diagnosis group, before (Pre), during (In-LD), and after Lockdown (LD)
Descriptive statistics stratified to the admission period
| Demographic characteristics and source of admission | Whole study period | Pre-LD | In-LD | After-LD | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 71 (60–79) | 72 (60–80) | 70 (62–79) | 70 (58–79) | 0.620 |
| Female gender | 260 (32.3) | 110 (34.5) | 56 (27.1) | 94 (33.6) | 0.173 |
| Self-presentation to the emergency department | 238 (29.6) | 104 (32.8) | 53 (25.6) | 81 (29) | 0.441 |
| Admission from the emergency medical system | 358 (44.6) | 139 (43.8) | 95 (45.9) | 124 (44.4) | |
| Direct outside or inside hospital transfer | 207 (25.8) | 74 (23.3) | 54 (38.5) | 74 (26.5) | |
| 0–3 h | 131 (50.2) | 56 (53.3) | 38 (52.8) | 37 (44) | 0.12 |
| 4–6 h | 36 (13.8) | 15 (14.3) | 11 (15.3) | 10 (11.9) | |
| 6–12 h | 36 (13.8) | 14 (13.3) | 13 (18.1) | 9 (10.7) | |
| > 12 h | 58 (22.2) | 20 (19) | 10 (13.9) | 28 (33.3) | |
| Hypertension | 562 (69.7) | 226 (70.8) | 148 (71.5) | 188 (67.1) | 0.501 |
| Hyperlipidaemia | 423 (52.5) | 155 (48.6) | 128 (61.8) | 140 (50.2) | 0.007 |
| Diabetes not requiring insuline | 176 (21.9) | 65 (20.4) | 49 (23.7) | 62 (22.3) | 0.657 |
| Diabetes requiring insuline | 71 (8.8) | 31 (9.7) | 15 (7.2) | 25 (8.9) | 0.612 |
| Smokers | 257 (31.9) | 107 (33.5) | 57 (27.5) | 93 (33.2) | 0.296 |
| Familiar history of coronary artery disease | 122 (15.1) | 44 (13.8) | 24 (11.6) | 54 (19.3) | 0.045 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 161 (20) | 68 (21.3) | 39 (18.8) | 54 (19.3) | 0.737 |
| End stage chronic kidney disease needing renal replacement therapy | 24 (3) | 10 (3.1) | 5 (2.4) | 9 (3.2) | 0.857 |
| Coronary artery disease | 215 (26.7) | 88 (27.6) | 63 (30.4) | 64 (22.9) | 0.156 |
| History of heart failure | 121 (15) | 52 (16.3) | 31 (15) | 38 (13.6) | 0.647 |
| History of atrial fibrillation | 136 (16.9) | 54 (16.9) | 40 (19.3) | 42 (15.1) | 0.462 |
| Previous stroke | 71 (8.8) | 28 (8.8) | 27 (13) | 16 (5.7) | 0.019 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 95 (11.8) | 42 (13.2) | 25 (12.1) | 28 (10) | 0.482 |
| Peripheral artery disease | 127 (15.8) | 54 (16.9) | 31 (15) | 42 (15) | 0.761 |
| Anaemia | 88 (10.9) | 31 (9.7) | 29 (14) | 28 (10) | 0.253 |
| Malignancy | 82 (10.2) | 28 (8.8) | 15 (7.2) | 39 (13.9) | 0.031 |
| Neurological and/or psychiatric disorder | 90 (11.2) | 36 (11.3) | 27 (13) | 27 (9.6) | 0.498 |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index | 4 (3–6) | 5 (3–6) | 4 (3–6) | 4 (3–6) | 0.823 |
| Coronary angiography | 570 (71) | 243 (76.4) | 129 (62.6) | 198 (71) | 0.003 |
| Percutaneous coronary intervention | 425 (60.2) | 170 (54.8) | 108 (60) | 147 (68.1) | 0.01 |
| Intra-aortic balloon pump | 26 (3.2) | 13 (4.1) | 4 (1.9) | 9 (3.2) | 0.39 |
| Pericardiocentesis | 12 (1.5) | 5 (1.6) | 1 (0.5) | 6 (2.2) | 0.32 |
| Temporary pacing | 32 (4) | 7 (2.2) | 10 (4.8) | 15 (5.4) | 0.11 |
| Central venous catheter insertion | 126 (15.6) | 42 (13.2) | 45 (21.7) | 39 (13.9) | 0.02 |
| Arterial catheter insertion | 192 (23.8) | 64 (20.1) | 61 (29.5) | 67 (23.9) | 0.047 |
| Non-invasive ventilation | 71 (8.8) | 27 (8.5) | 16 (7.7) | 28 (10) | 0.66 |
| Invasive ventilation | 50 (6.2) | 23 (7.2) | 15 (7.2) | 12 (4.3) | 0.26 |
| Haemodialysis | 33 (4.2) | 10 (3.1) | 12 (5.8) | 11 (3.9) | 0.32 |
Differences among the three main admission periods, for the whole study population. Categorical variables are presented as absolute number and percentage value. Numeric data are expressed as mean (SD) or median (interquartile range [IQR]), as appropriate. A Chi-square test was performed for categorical variables, while a non-parametric analysis of variance (Kruskal–Wallis test) was used for comparison of continuous variables among the three groups
Pre-LD, in-LD and after-LD: before the lockdown, during the lockdown and after the lockdown period
LOS and in-hospital mortality according to the admission period
| Variables | Whole study period | Pre-LD | In-LD | After-LD | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICCU LOS | 3 (2–4) | 2 (1–4) | 2 (1–5) | 3 (2–4) | 0.11 |
| Hospital LOS | 7 (4–12) | 7 (4–13) | 7 (5–11) | 6 (4–11) | 0.45 |
| In-hospital mortality | 55 (6.8) | 26 (8.2) | 15 (7.2) | 14 (5) | 0.3 |
| ICCU LOS | 3 (2–4) | 2 (1–4) | 3 (2–4) | 3 (2–4) | 0.66 |
| Hospital LOS | 6 (4–10) | 6 (4–11) | 6 (4–9) | 6 (4–10) | 0.58 |
| In-hospital mortality | 28 (5.6) | 15 (7.1) | 8 (7) | 5 (2.9) | 0.16 |
| ICCU LOS | 3 (2–4) | 3 (2–5) | 3 (2–4) | 3 (1–4) | 0.054 |
| Hospital LOS | 6 (4–10) | 7 (5–11) | 6 (5–9) | 6 (4–9) | 0.27 |
| In-hospital mortality | 21 (7.5) | 12 (10.9) | 7 (9.5) | 2 (2.1) | 0.04 |
| ICCU LOS | 2 (1–4) | 2 (1–3) | 2 (1–5) | 3 (2–4) | 0.001 |
| Hospital LOS | 6 (4–9.5) | 5 (4–10) | 5,5 (4–9) | 6 (4–10) | 0.88 |
| In-hospital mortality | 7 (3.2) | 3 (2.9) | 1 (2.5) | 3 (4) | 0.88 |
Outcome differences among the three main admission periods
Categorical variables are presented as absolute number and percentage value. Numeric data are expressed as mean (SD) or median (interquartile range [IQR]), as appropriate
A Chi-square test was performed for categorical variables, while a non-parametric analysis of variance (Kruskal–Wallis test) was used for comparison of continuous variables among the three groups. ACS acute coronary syndrome, STEMI ST-elevation myocardial infarction, NSTEMI/UA Non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction/unstable angina, ICCU intensive cardiac care unit, LOS length of stay. Pre-LD, in-LD and after-LD: before the lockdown, during the lockdown and after the lockdown period
In-hospital complications, according to the admission period
| Complications | Whole study period | Pre-LD | In-LD | After-LD | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 307 (38.1) | 117 (36.7) | 97 (46.9) | 93 (33.2) | 0.007 | |
| Pulmonary edema | 192 (23.8) | 78 (24.5) | 59 (28.5) | 55 (19.6) | 0.07 |
| Cardiogenic shock | 59 (7.3) | 24 (7.5) | 13 (6.3) | 22 (7.9) | 0.79 |
| Major ventricular arrhythmias | 66 (8.2) | 32 (10) | 15 (7.2) | 19 (6.8) | 0.29 |
| High grade AV block requiring temporary pacing | 24 (3.0) | 6 (1.9) | 9 (4.3) | 9 (3.2) | 0.25 |
| Atrial fibrillation requiring cardioversion | 102 (12.7) | 36 (11.3) | 38 (18.4) | 28 (10) | 0.015 |
| Cardiac arrest | 48 (6) | 20 (6.3) | 12 (5.8) | 16 (5.7) | 0.95 |
| 135 (19.7) | 57 (18) | 43 (21) | 35 (12.5) | 0.04 | |
| Acute kidney injury requiring renal replacement therapy | 26 (3.2) | 6 (1.9) | 11 (5.3) | 9 (3.2) | 0.09 |
| Sepsis | 40 (5) | 18 (5.6) | 11 (5.3) | 11 (3.9) | 0.6 |
| Pneumonitis and primary respiratory failure | 50 (6.2) | 27 (8.5) | 14 (6.8) | 9 (3.2) | 0.03 |
| Stroke | 16 (2) | 8 (2.5) | 7 (3.4) | 1 (0.4) | 0.04 |
| Delirium | 37 (4.6) | 13 (4.1) | 15 (7.2) | 9 (3.2) | 0.09 |
| Anaemization requiring blood transfusion | 49 (6.1) | 14 (4.4) | 19 (9.2) | 16 (5.7) | 0.08 |
Differences in hospital complications among the three main admission periods
Variables are presented as absolute number and percentage value. A Chi-square test was performed to detect any differences among the three admission periods
Pre-LD, in-LD and after-LD: before the lockdown, during the lockdown and after the lockdown period