Abstract Body: Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic was a global health crisis that started around late 2019 and ended in the middle of 2023 according to the World Health Organization that impacted access to specialized cardiovascular care world-wide. We have previously demonstrated improvement in cardiovascular mortality in Portage County, OH through the implementation of preventative screening programs and the availability of 24/7 cardiovascular care. Portage County, a predominantly rural area with some suburban and urban communities, faced significant challenges in cardiovascular care during the pandemic despite having qualified professionals. Lockdown protocols and shortages of essential medical supplies, such as gloves, masks, and gowns, further limited care delivery.

Objective: This study evaluates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on cardiovascular care in Portage County, Ohio, through analyzing crude death rates (CDRs) from CVD.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis using the CDC WONDER mortality database (2015–2022). A comparison of means of CDRs in the years before and after COVID-19 were used.

Results: Following the 2016–2019 intervention, over 3,000 catheterizations were performed, and CDRs declined across all age groups, with reductions of 36% (65–74 yrs), 21% (75–84 yrs), and 28% (85+ yrs). Although these decreases were not statistically significant (p > 0.05), they indicated improved post-intervention outcomes.
In contrast, during COVID-19 (2019–2022), the average CDR rose from 306.2 (pre-COVID, 2015–2018) to 315.5, a 3% increase that reached statistical significance (p = 0.009).

Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic increased CVD mortality in Portage County. We attribute this to lack of access to cardiovascular care because of increased utilization of the hospital resources for COVID-19 patients and limited outpatient appointments due to restricted clinic availability. Despite acheiving an improved mortality rate in previous years due to intervention and preventative measures, there was an increase in CVD mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings suggest that the earlier mortality gains achieved after the intervention were partially reversed during the COVID-19 period.