International Journal of Cardiovascular Sciences. 19/dez/2023;36:e20230116.

The COVID-19 Collateral Damage in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarctions in Low/Middle-Income American Regions

Karen Alexandra Dueñas-Criado , Oscar Maurício Perez-Fernandez

DOI: 10.36660/ijcs.20230116

For this issue of the International Journal of Cardiovascular Sciences, we would like to discuss the post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic effects on performance measures in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in a low/middle-income country.

In the Americas, cardiovascular diseases, mainly ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease (stroke), are the leading causes of long-term disability and mortality. Over three quarters of heart disease and stroke-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. In the Americas region, during the last 3 years, more than 190.3 million people have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and more than 2.9 million people have died, according to Pan American Health Organization statistics from March 2023. As of 12 July 2023, more than 2 billion doses of vaccination against COVID-19 had been applied in the region to about 700 million people with a 3-dose regimen.

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