Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (MHIF) Engages in COVID-19 STEMI Research Study

MHIF is International Coordinating and Data Center for the North American COVID-19 ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Registry

MINNEAPOLIS – April 6, 2020 – The Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation® (MHIF) announced today it is serving as the international coordinating and data center for the North American COVID-19 ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Registry (NACMI) in addition to enrolling patients into the study. This registry is a research study designed to collect data on COVID-19 positive patients or persons under investigation (suspected to have COVID-19 infection) with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI), a serious heart attack involving a blockage in one of the heart's major arteries that supplies oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the heart muscle.

The registry is a collaborative effort between the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) and the Canadian Association of Interventional Cardiology (CAIC). Santiago Garcia, MD, interventional cardiologist and MHIF researcher, is the primary investigator for MHIF.

“This research is a critical example of how real-time collection of data has the potential to guide insights that can benefit patient outcomes while we’re learning minute-by-minute during this pandemic,” said Dr. Garcia. “We are proud of our extensive MHIF research on STEMI that arms us to quickly deploy this new study in partnership with other colleagues across North America. We look forward to collaborating and rapidly sharing clinical guidance that will come from this unique registry. Damage to the heart muscle is present in 15 to 25 percent of patients with COVID-19 infection and is associated with worse outcomes. At present, there is no data-driven consensus on management of patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection, which has important implications for patients and cardiac catheterization laboratory personnel.”

The goal is this will provide physicians insight into the clinical characteristics, treatment strategies, and outcomes of STEMI patients with COVID-19 infection. This registry has the potential to provide critically important time-sensitive data to inform the management and treatment guidelines applicable to COVID-19 patients.

The study is expected to have up to 100 sites participating throughout the United States and Canada. The registry will collect information on COVID-19 positive patients or persons under investigation (PUI) with ST-Segment Elevation or new-onset left bundle branch block with a clinical correlate of myocardial ischemia (chest pain, dyspnea, cardiac arrest, hemodynamic instability, mechanical ventilation). The data from these patients will be compared to an age and gender-matched control population of typical STEMI patients from the existing Midwest STEMI Consortium, which is a large (>15,000), prospective multi-center registry of consecutive STEMI patients for which MHIF is the data coordinating center. More information available at https://www.scai.org/covid-19-resources.

About the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation®

The Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (MHIF) strives to create a world without heart and vascular disease. To achieve this bold vision, it is dedicated to improving the cardiovascular health of individuals and communities through innovative research and education.

Scientific Innovation and Research – MHIF is a recognized leader across all specialties of heart and vascular research. Each year, MHIF leads more than 200 research studies with more than 2,200 patients and publishes more than 200 articles to share learnings from research. MHIF research has improved the standard of care around the world through protocols like Level One for heart attack, which significantly improved outcomes and survival for patients.

Education and Outreach – MHIF provides more than 10,000 hours of education each year putting its research into practice to improve outcomes among health care providers. This commitment extends to patients and caregivers through a number of community health and education events to raise awareness of heart care and research, engaging individuals in their own health.

The Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation’s work is funded by generous donors and sponsors and engages in cutting-edge research initiatives with its physician partners from the Minneapolis Heart Institute® at Abbott Northwestern Hospital and at 38 community sites across Minnesota and western Wisconsin. For more information, please visit mplsheart.org.