The Direct and Indirect Effects of COVID-19 on Acute Coronary Syndromes

Heart Fail Clin. 2023 Apr;19(2):185-196. doi: 10.1016/j.hfc.2022.08.002.

Abstract

The novel SARS-CoV-2 has directly and indirectly impacted patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic correlated with an abrupt decline in hospitalizations with ACS and increased out-of-hospital deaths. Worse outcomes in ACS patients with concomitant COVID-19 have been reported, and acute myocardial injury secondary to SARS-CoV-2 infection is recognized. A rapid adaptation of existing ACS pathways has been required such that overburdened health care systems may manage both a novel contagion and existing illness. As SARS-CoV-2 is now endemic, future research is required to better define the complex interplay of COVID-19 infection and cardiovascular disease.

Keywords: Acute coronary syndrome; COVID-19; Non–ST-elevation myocardial infarction; ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Acute Coronary Syndrome* / complications
  • Acute Coronary Syndrome* / epidemiology
  • COVID-19* / epidemiology
  • Hospitalization
  • Humans
  • Pandemics
  • SARS-CoV-2