Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on secondary care for cardiovascular disease in the UK : an electronic health record analysis across three countries

Wright, F Lucy and Cheema, Kate and Goldacre, Raph and Hall, Nick and Herz, Naomi and Islam, Nazrul and Karim, Zainab and Moreno-Martos, David and Morales, Daniel R and O’Connell, Daniel and Spata, Enti and Akbari, Ashley and Ashworth, Mark and Barber, Mark and Briffa, Norman and Canoy, Dexter and Denaxas, Spiros and Khunti, Kamlesh and Kurdi, Amanj and Mamas, Mamas and Priedon, Rouven and Sudlow, Cathie and Morris, Eva JA and Lacey, Ben and Banerjee, Amitava (2022) Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on secondary care for cardiovascular disease in the UK : an electronic health record analysis across three countries. European Heart Journal - Quality of Care & Clinical Outcomes. pp. 1-12. ISSN 2058-1742 (https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjqcco/qcac077)

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Abstract

Background Although morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 have been widely reported, the indirect effects of the pandemic beyond 2020 on other major diseases and health service activity have not been well described. Methods and results Analyses used national administrative electronic hospital records in England, Scotland, and Wales for 2016–21. Admissions and procedures during the pandemic (2020–21) related to six major cardiovascular conditions [acute coronary syndrome (ACS), heart failure (HF), stroke/transient ischaemic attack (TIA), peripheral arterial disease (PAD), aortic aneurysm (AA), and venous thromboembolism(VTE)] were compared with the annual average in the pre-pandemic period (2016–19). Differences were assessed by time period and urgency of care. In 2020, there were 31 064 (−6%) fewer hospital admissions [14 506 (−4%) fewer emergencies, 16 560 (−23%) fewer elective admissions] compared with 2016–19 for the six major cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) combined. The proportional reduction in admissions was similar in all three countries. Overall, hospital admissions returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2021. Elective admissions remained substantially below expected levels for almost all conditions in all three countries [−10 996 (−15%) fewer admissions]. However, these reductions were offset by higher than expected total emergency admissions [+25 878 (+6%) higher admissions], notably for HF and stroke in England, and for VTE in all three countries. Analyses for procedures showed similar temporal variations to admissions. Conclusion The present study highlights increasing emergency cardiovascular admissions during the pandemic, in the context of a substantial and sustained reduction in elective admissions and procedures. This is likely to increase further the demands on cardiovascular services over the coming years.

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