Study suggests COVID-19 fears curbed ambulance calls for heart attacks

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – Kentucky’s EMS run volume has experienced a notable decrease in comparison to 2019 EMS run volume, according to a study released Wednesday by the Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services.

In 2020, EMS incidents have declined 11.63% — 42,732 incidents — compared to last year between Jan. 1 and May 31, according to the report, which highlights cardiac arrest/STEMI incidents and whether the coronavirus pandemic impacted patient 911 use.

While the study suggests patients experiencing significant medical emergencies are avoiding using emergency medical services due to coronavirus fears, the board stressed additional research is needed to prove the correlation to be true.

In 2020, suspected cardiac arrest/STEMI patient incidents were down 17% from 2019. At the height of the Coronavirus Pandemic fear in April, incidents were down a drastic 42% when compared to the same period in 2019, according to the review.

In March 2020, EMS cardiac arrest/STEMI incidents for male patients was down 34% from 2019. The decline in male patients continued into April, resulting in a drastic 46% decline compared to 2019 statistics.

Meanwhile, female incidents remained constant for March but took a downward spiral in April, resulting in a 36% decrease in EMS incidents.

The largest disparity among calendar years 2019 and 2020 cardiac arrest/STEMI patients lies among those aged 50 – 59. After further analyzing patients within this age group https://bit.ly/CoronavirusandKY911, it’s apparent female patient encounters, for the majority, stayed constant among 2020 while their male counterparts avoided 911 resources, the report stated.

Male cardiac arrest/STEMI patients between the ages of 50 – 59 declined 51% during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.