Surge in Delayed Myocardial Infarction Presentations: An Inadvertent Consequence of Social Distancing During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Kulin Shah; Delphine Tang; Fady Ibrahim; Bobby Ghosh; Sabha Bhatti; Ehimare Akhabue; Tudor Vagaonescu; Ramzan Zakir; Abdul Hakeem

doi:10.1016/j.jaccas.2020.07.004

Surge in Delayed Myocardial Infarction Presentations: An Inadvertent Consequence of Social Distancing During the COVID-19 Pandemic

JACC Case Rep. 2020 Aug;2(10):1642-1647. doi: 10.1016/j.jaccas.2020.07.004. Epub 2020 Aug 19.

Authors

Kulin Shah¹, Delphine Tang¹, Fady Ibrahim¹, Bobby Ghosh¹, Sabha Bhatti¹, Ehimare Akhabue¹, Tudor Vagaonescu¹, Ramzan Zakir¹, Abdul Hakeem¹

Affiliation

¹ Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Abstract

This case series summarizes our experience of delayed acute myocardial infarction presentations during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic predominantly driven by patient fear of contracting the virus in the hospital. Many presented with complications rarely seen in the primary percutaneous coronary intervention era including ventricular septal rupture, left ventricular pseudoaneurysm, and right ventricular infarction. (Level of Difficulty: Beginner.).

Keywords: ACS, acute coronary syndrome; COVID-19, coronavirus disease-2019; LV, left ventricle; MI, myocardial infarction; SARS-Cov-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2; STEMI, ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction; coronary angiography; myocardial infarction; percutaneous coronary intervention.

Publication types

Case Reports