Worldwide differences of hospitalization for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction during COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Discrepant data were reported about hospital admissions for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) during COVID-19 pandemic. We reviewed studies reporting STEMI hospitalizations during COVID-19 pandemic, investigating whether differences in COVID-19 epidemiology or public health-related factors could explain discrepant findings in different countries. Methods: Search through MedLine, Embase, Scopus, Web-of-Science, Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials, of studies comparing STEMI admissions during COVID-19 pandemic with a reference period, without language restrictions, as registered in PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. Data independently extracted by multiple investigators were pooled using a random-effects model. Health-related metrics were from publicly-available sources. Results: We included 79 articles (111,557 STEMI cases, from 57 countries). During peak COVID-19 pandemic, overall incidence rate-ratio (IRR) of STEMI hospitalizations over reference period decreased (0.80; 95% CI 0.76–0.84; p < 0.05). Although wide variations and significant heterogeneity were detected among studies (I2 = 89%; p < 0.0001), no significant differences were observed by report methodology (survey vs registry), or observation/reference period. However, large differences emerged at country level not explained by COVID-related epidemiological data, nor by public health strategies. Instead, IRRs for STEMI admissions were inversely related to hospital bed availability in each country (p < 0.05). Conclusions: During COVID-19 pandemic hospitalization for STEMI significantly decreased, although to a smaller extent than initially reported. Large variability emerged across countries, unrelated to COVID-related epidemiology or social containment measures. Disparities in healthcare organization likely contributed, indicating that proper organization of emergency medicine should be preserved during pandemics.