When the patients stayed home: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on acute cardiac admissions and cardiac mortality in Malta

Aim This study aimed to investigate the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on all types of acute cardiac admissions (ACAs) and cardiac mortality in Malta. Methods Number, characteristics and delay to presentation of ACAs to our institution during the study period (28 February–30 April 2020) were compared with the corresponding 2019 period. Non-parametric correlation analyses between daily SARS-CoV-2 cases in Malta, Italy and the UK and daily ACAs were performed. Differences in cardiac death distribution (community vs. in-hospital) during the two periods were analysed. Results There was a significant decline in daily ACAs in 2020 (median 3 [IQR 3]) vs. 2019 (median 5 [IQR 4]), p