Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Objective
This study aims to evaluate whether the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a deterioration in the quality of care for socially and/or clinically vulnerable stroke and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients.Design
Two cohorts of STEMI and stroke patients in the Aquitaine neurocardiovascular registry.Setting
Six emergency medical services, 30 emergency units, 14 hospitalisation units and 11 catheterisation laboratories in the Aquitaine region in France.Participants
This study involved 9218 patients (6436 stroke and 2782 STEMI patients) in the neurocardiovascular registry from January 2019 to August 2020.Primary outcome measures
Care management times in both cohorts: first medical contact-to-procedure time for the STEMI cohort and emergency unit admission-to-imaging time for the stroke cohort. Associations between social (deprivation index) and clinical (age >65 years, neurocardiovascular history) vulnerabilities and care management times were analysed using multivariate linear mixed models, with an interaction on the time period (pre-wave, per-wave and post-first COVID-19 wave).Results
The first medical contact procedure time was longer for elderly (p<0.001) and 'very socially disadvantaged' (p=0.003) STEMI patients, with no interaction regarding the COVID-19 period (age, p=0.54; neurocardiovascular history, p=0.70; deprivation, p=0.64). We found no significant association between vulnerabilities and the admission imaging time for stroke patients, and no interaction with respect to the COVID-19 period (age, p=0.81; neurocardiovascular history, p=0.34; deprivation, p=0.95).Conclusions
This study revealed pre-existing inequalities in care management times for vulnerable STEMI and stroke patients; however, these inequalities were neither accentuated nor reduced during the first COVID-19 wave. Measures implemented during the crisis did not alter the structured emergency pathway for these patients.Trial registration number
NCT04979208.
SUBMITTER: Lesaine E
PROVIDER: S-EPMC10773394 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Lesaine Emilie E Francis Florence F Domecq Sandrine S Miganeh-Hadi Sahal S Sevin Floriane F Sibon Igor I Rouanet François F Pradeau Catherine C Coste Pierre P Cetran Laura L Vandentorren Stephanie S Saillour Florence F
BMJ open 20240103 1
<h4>Objective</h4>This study aims to evaluate whether the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a deterioration in the quality of care for socially and/or clinically vulnerable stroke and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients.<h4>Design</h4>Two cohorts of STEMI and stroke patients in the Aquitaine neurocardiovascular registry.<h4>Setting</h4>Six emergency medical services, 30 emergency units, 14 hospitalisation units and 11 catheterisation laboratories in the Aqui ...[more]