How should physicians treat STEMI patients with COVID-19? A new study aims to find out
A newly announced research study will focus on treatment strategies and outcomes of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients with known or suspected COVID-19.
The North American COVID-19 ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Registry, or NACMI for short, is a collaboration between the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) and Canadian Association of Interventional Cardiology (CAIC). The Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (MHIF) will act as the study’s data coordinating center.
“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,” cardiologist Santiago Garcia, MD, who will serve as the MHIF’s primary investigator, said in a statement. “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.”
Currently, Garcia added, there is “no data-driven consensus on management of patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection.”
The NACMI study will recruit up to 100 participating sites in the United States and Canada. Data from STEMI patients with known or suspected COVID-19 will be evaluated to data from an established STEMI cohort of more than 15,000 patients.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.