Having a heart attack during the peak of the pandemic - how the NHS coped
The death rate for patients who experienced what is normally a lower-risk heart attack rose sharply during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an analysis of NHS data.
In comparison, the death rate for people who had a more severe heart attack fell.
The study - led by a research team at the University - also revealed a substantial drop in the number of patients who were arriving at hospital with a heart attack. At its lowest point, hospitals were treating just over half the cases they would normally expect to see.
Although the number of people seeking medical help did rebound, they had not returned to their pre COVID-19 levels by 22 May, when the study period ended.
The reduction in patients seeking timely help is likely to have resulted in people dying at home or developing chronic heart problems.
This national picture provides evidence for the devastating impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on people’s lives. The inflation in deaths among people attending hospital with heart attack is very likely an early signal of the mortality and morbidity that is yet to be observed
