Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on emergency medical systems (EMS). Regarding the ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) dependent time network, however, there is little evidence linked to the post-pandemic phase regarding this issue. Such information could prove to be of pivotal importance regarding STEMI clinical management, especially pre-hospital clinical protocols such as fibrinolysis. Methods: A retrospective observational cohort study of all STEMI rescues recorded in the Lombardy EMS registry from the 1st of January 2019 to the 30th of December 2021. Results: Regarding the number of STEMI diagnoses, March 2020 (first pandemic wave in Italy) saw a reduction compared to March 2019 (OR 0.76 [0.60-0.93], p = 0.011). The average time of the entire mission increased to 63.1 min in 2021, reaching 64.7 min in 2020, compared with 57.7 min in 2019. The number of HUBs for STEMI patients saw a reduction, falling from 52 HUBs in the pre-pandemic phase to 13 HUBs during the first wave. Conclusions: During the pandemic phase, there was an increase in the transportation times of STEMI patients from home to the hospital. Such changes did not alter the clinical approach in the out-of-hospital phase. Indeed, the implementation of fibrinolysis was not required.
Keywords: COVID-19; Lombardy region; STEMI; emergency care.