Spikes in Cardiovascular Events: The Impact of Environmental and Psychosocial Stressors

A Cedars-Sinai analysis found a 46% rise in emergency department visits for acute myocardial infarction in the 90 days after the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.

Investigators compared regional ED surveillance data from Jan. 7 to Apr. 7, 2025 with the same calendar intervals from 2018–2024 across Los Angeles County, focusing on triage-recorded presenting diagnoses. The setting included the Eaton and Pacific Palisades fires and exposure gradients into adjacent neighborhoods. The primary endpoint was ED encounters for acute myocardial infarction; the 46% increase persisted across the full 90-day post-fire window.

Patients with pre-existing coronary disease and those residing closest to the affected fire zones accounted for the highest event rates in the reported series. Practical bedside stratifiers include prior myocardial infarction or revascularization, reduced left ventricular function or heart failure, a history of clinically significant arrhythmia, older age, active ischemic symptoms and documented heavy air-pollution exposure.