Collateral damage of COVID ‐19 pandemic: Delayed medical care

AbstractDuring the COVID ‐19 pandemic, emergency room visits have drastically decreased for non‐COVID conditions such as appendicitis, heart attack, and stroke. Patients may be avoiding seeking medical attention for fear of catching the deadly condition or as an unintended consequence of stay‐at‐home orders. This de lay in seeking care can lead to increased morbidity and mortality, which has not been figured in the assessment of the extent of damage caused by this pandemic. This case illustrates an example of “collateral damage” caused by the COVID‐19 pandemic. What would have been a standard ST‐elevati on myocardial infarction treated with timely and successful stenting of a dominant right coronary artery occlusion, became a much more dangerous postinfarction ventricular septal defect; all because of a 2‐day delay in seeking medical attention by an unsuspecting patient.
Source: Journal of Cardiac Surgery - Category: Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Authors: Tags: CASE REPORT Source Type: research