ST Elevation Anterior leads
#19,130
In the opening days of the COVID pandemic - long before the first COVID vaccine was produced - we were already seeing evidence of the impact of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection on the cardiovascular system.
While most of these cases were never tested for COVID-19, this trend became so pronounced that the city ordered new Standards Of Care During A Pandemic: CPR & Cardiac Arrest, limiting the use of CPR in the field.In early April 2020, the New York Fire Department reported a 400% increase in sudden cardiac arrest death calls beginning in late March (see NBC affiliate Massive Spike in NYC ‘Cardiac Arrest’ Deaths Seen as Sign of COVID-19 Under counting).
From March 1 to April 25, 2020, New York City, New York (NYC), reported 17 118 COVID-19–related deaths. On April 6, 2020, out-of-hospital cardiac arrests peaked at 305 cases, nearly a 10-fold increase from the prior year.While many of these cases already had underlying cardiac problems, COVID-19 appears to have a direct, and often serious impact on cardiac function. Over the past 5 years, we've looked at a great many confirmatory studies, including:
The Lancet: Long COVID and Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Disease
European Society of Cardiology: Major Consensus Statement Released on Long-Term Cardiovascular Impact of COVID Infection
NIH: Study Shows SARS-CoV-2 Infects Coronary Arteries, Increases Plaque Inflammation
Nature: Long-term Cardiovascular Outcomes of COVID-19
While COVID appears to produce a wide range of impacts on our cardiovascular system, the most severe and immediately life threatening is the STEMI (ST Elevated Myocardial Infarction).
These are serious heart attacks that can affect a large portion of cardiac muscle and typically show up on EKGs with Elevated ST wave. In hospital mortality generally runs about 5% to 6%.
Today we've a press release, and a link to a summary, on a paper delivered on Friday (April 24th) at the SCAI Scientific Sessions 2026 & CAIC-ACCI Summit in Montreal, on the long-term impact of COVID on STEMI patients (in hospital, and 1 year after discharge).
Using data from the North American COVID-19 Myocardial Infarction (NACMI) registry - which has previously been used to quantify both in-hospital impact of COVID on STEMI patients, and improvements in 2021 with the release of the vaccine (see NACMI: In-Hospital Mortality Rate in STEMI Patients With COVID-19 Dropped in 2021) - the authors report:
This study found patients with COVID-19 and STEMI had a 67% higher one-year mortality rate compared to patients who did not have COVID-19 (45% vs. 27%, respectively) (p<0.001).
While most of this increase (86%) occurred in-hospital - some of which may be attributed to the strained healthcare delivery system during the height of the pandemic - this increased mortality continued after discharge.
Since conference summary is copyrighted, I've just posted the press release. You'll find a link to the brief summary near the bottom.
COVID-19 and severe heart attack increase mortality by 25% after one year, more than double pre-pandemic rates
New data from large North American registry points to troubling long-term trend after initial hospitalization
Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions
SCAI Scientific Sessions 2026 & CAIC-ACCI Summit
MONTREAL – April 24, 2026 – Findings from the North American COVID-19 Myocardial Infarction (NACMI) registry demonstrate significantly higher one-year mortality rates in patients with COVID-19 and ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) compared to patients with STEMI alone. This registry is the first study to describe long-term outcomes in patients with STEMI and COVID-19. Researchers presented the late-breaking data today at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) 2026 Scientific Sessions & Canadian Association of Interventional Cardiology/Association Canadienne de cardiologie d’intervention (CAIC-ACCI) Summit in Montreal.
COVID-19 can significantly worsen cardiovascular outcomes, placing patients with preexisting heart conditions at increased risk for complications, underscoring the need for heightened clinical vigilance during and after hospitalization. For example, patients who experience COVID-19 and STEMI, a severe type of heart attack caused by a complete blockage of a coronary artery, are seven times more likely to experience in-hospital death, stroke, recurrent myocardial infarction, or repeat unplanned revascularization, compared to those who did not have COVID-19. However, the long-term effects of COVID-19 on this patient population are unknown.
SCAI and the Canadian Association of Interventional Cardiology (CAIC), in conjunction with the American College of Cardiology Interventional Council, collaborated to create the multi-center observational registry, NACMI. NACMI is a prospective, investigator-initiated, multicenter, observational registry of hospitalized STEMI patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection in North America. This long-term follow-up sub-study included a total of 2,358 STEMI patients, with three subgroups: COVID-19 positive (n=623), COVID-19 negative (n=694), and matched controls (n=1,041).
This study found patients with COVID-19 and STEMI had a 67% higher one-year mortality rate compared to patients who did not have COVID-19 (45% vs. 27%, respectively) (p<0.001). Most deaths (86%) occurred during the initial hospital stay. Among survivors of initial hospitalization, one-year mortality rates were 25% higher in patients with COVID-19 (12% vs. 9.6%) (p<0.001) and more than double the pre-pandemic rate (5.3%) (p<0.001).
“Our findings emphasize that patients who survive a STEMI need close, ongoing attention from their care team, especially when experiencing COVID-19,” said Payam Dehghani, MD, FSCAI, interventional cardiologist at Prairie Vascular Research Inc in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. “By partnering with CAIC, we were able to answer this critical clinical question around the long-term outcomes of COVID-19 and STEMI. Clinicians should carefully assess and monitor cardiovascular risk factors, including lifestyle choices, and patients must remain actively engaged in their recovery and follow-up care.”
The researchers note that additional analyses exploring potential gender disparities among patients with COVID-19 and STEMI are underway.
Session Details:
“North American COVID-19 Myocardial Infarction (NACMI) Registry: One-Year Follow-Up”
Friday, April 24; 4:09-4:17 PM ET
Palais des Congrès de Montréal, 510b (5th Level)
