The impact of first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 2019 pandemic in Poland on characteristics and outcomes of patients hospitalized due to stable coronary artery disease

Background: An investigation of baseline characteristics, treatment, and outcomes in patients with stable coronary disease after the first wave of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS--CoV-2)pandemic may provide valuable data and is beneficial for public health strategy in upcoming years.Methods: A multi-institutional registry, including 10 cardiology departments, was searched for pa-tients admitted from June 2020 to October 2020. The baseline characteristics (age, gender, symptoms, comorbidities), treatment (non-invasive, invasive, surgical), and hospitalization outcome (mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, composite endpoint- major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events [MACCE]) were evaluated. The comparison was made to parameters presented by patients from the same timeframe in 2019 (June-October). Multivariable analysis was performed.Results: Number of hospitalized stable patients following lockdown was lower (2498 vs. 1903; p < 0.0001). They were younger (68.0 vs. 69.0; p < 0.019), more likely to present with hypertension (88.5% vs. 77.5%; p < 0.0001), diabetes (35.7% vs. 31.5%; p = 0.003), hyperlipidemia (67.9% vs. 55.4%; p < 0.0001), obesity (35.8% vs. 31.3%; p = 0.002), and more pronounced symptoms (Cana-dian Cardiovascular Society [CCS] III and CCS class IV angina: 30.4% vs. 26.5%; p = 0.005). They underwent percutaneous treatment more often (35.0% vs. 25.9%; p < 0.0001) and were less likely to be referred for surgery (3.7% vs. 4.9%; p = 0.0001). There were no significant differences in hospitaliza-tion outcome. New York HeartAssociation (NYHA) class IV for heart failure was a risk factor for both mortality and MACCE in multivariate analysis.Conclusions: The SARS-CoV-2 2019 pandemic affected the characteristics and hospitalization course of stable angina patients hospitalized following the first wave. The hospitalization outcome was similar in the analyzed time intervals. The higher prevalence of comorbidities raises concern regarding upcom-ing years. (Cardiol J 2023; 30, 3: 337-343) Key words: COVID-19, coronavirus, lockdown, coronary artery disease, pandemic

Automated summary

This study investigated the baseline characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of stable coronary disease patients after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. A comparison was made with patients from the same period in 2019. The results showed that the number of hospitalized stable patients decreased after the lockdown, they were younger and had more comorbidities, and there were changes in treatment, but no significant differences in hospitalization outcomes. The higher prevalence of comorbidities raises concerns for the future.