COVID-19 and acute myocardial infarction

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on the healthcare system. Among the major impacts was the increase in the incidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, in clinical practice, the number of patients admitted to the hospital with AMI during the COVID-19 pandemic decreased because of the patients refraining from seeking medical care. Despite various measures taken by healthcare facilities to maintain the quality of CCU care, the time to treatment of patients with AMI increased during the pandemic, and the in-hospital mortality rate elevated worldwide. In Japan, however, the in-hospital mortality did not increase. This review describes the relationship between COVID-19 and AMI and the status of AMI management during the pandemic.