Acute coronary syndromes in the Covid era : is there any difference? The experience of a general hospital

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background SARS-Cov2 has been linked to increased rates of thrombosis and it has been shown that post covid patients are more susceptible to acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Purpose To identify whether there is any difference in the frequency of stress induced cardiomyopathy during the Covid 19 pandemic. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the data from the cardiology department, regarding the patients who were admitted with ACS during the covid-19 pandemic (2020-2021) and compared it with the data prior the pandemic (2018-2019). Results We recorded a higher frequency of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy in the post Covid era (post Covid vs non Covid) (18.18% vs 4.91%, p<0.01), as well as SCAD (6% vs 0%, p<0.05). No statistically significant was noticed in STEMI (18.18% vs 13.11%), NSTEMI (21.21% vs 26.22%) and MINOCA (36.36% vs 55.73%). Conclusions We noticed in the post Covid patients an increase in Takotsubo cardiomyopathy as well as SCAD when compared to the non-infectes patients. This could be partly explained by the psychological burden of the pandemic that seems to have affected the society.