Impact of COVID‐19 on pacemaker implant

Gonzales‐Luna, Ana C.; Torres‐Valencia, Javier O.; Alarcón‐Santos, Javier E.; Segura‐Saldaña, Pedro A.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this article was to determine the change in the volume of pacemaker implantations with the COVID‐2019 pandemic and to assess the change in the number of pacemaker implants according to etiology during the pandemic. BACKGROUND: The establishment of a mandatory social isolation have generated a decrease in activities in cardiology units. METHODS: Descriptive, cross‐sectional study that used a database of a Peruvian Hospital. Time was divided into three categories: Before COVID period and COVID period including Previous to Social isolation (SI) and Social Isolation. The number of pacemaker implantations were compared per the same amount of time. RESULTS: A reduction in the pacemaker implant of 73% (95% CI: 33‐113; P < .001) was observed during the COVID‐19 pandemic period, and a reduction of 78% of patients with the diagnosis of complete or high‐grade atrioventricular block and a reduction in the de‐novo pacemaker implant was observed, regardless of the etiology. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate a very significant reduction (73%) in de‐novo pacemaker implantation during the months of the COVID‐19 pandemic. The reduction in the number of de‐novo pacemaker occurred independent of the etiology.