Impact of COVID-19 on the incidence of post-acute myocardial infarction mechanical complications

Abstract

The novel coronavirus SARS-Cov-2 had gripped nearly every field of medicine since March 11, 2020, when the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic. The pandemic has dominated the global media, forcing people to stay home in isolation and avoid interpersonal contact. Medical centers have been converted into COVID-19 disease wards and become overwhelmed by the number of infectious cases. As a result, other diseases have been pushed into the background. COVID-19 case statistics and mortality rates are well known. What is less investigated—but may be even more critical—is statistics related to mortality and severe complications due to other medical causes that might have been avoided if not for the pandemic. According to Eurostat data, the excess mortality for 2020 for the European Union was 12% higher than the 2016–2019 annual average, which translates to about 550,000 additional deaths (1). It remains unknown how many of these were cardiovascular cases.