COVID-19 patients who have a severe heart attack are at 25% higher risk for death than uninfected heart attack patients—more than double the prepandemic rate—for one year, researchers at Prairie Vascular Research in Saskatchewan, Canada, say.
Findings from the North American COVID-19 Myocardial Infarction (NACMI) registry were presented late last week at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions 2026 Scientific Sessions and the Canadian Association of Interventional Cardiology Summit in Montreal. The registry is the first study to describe long-term outcomes in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and COVID-19, the authors said.
In conjunction with the American College of Cardiology Interventional Council, the researchers created the observational multicenter registry of COVID-19 patients hospitalized for STEMI in North America. A long-term follow-up sub-study included 2,358 STEMI patients in three subgroups: COVID-19–positive (623 patients); COVID-19–negative (694); and matched controls (1,041).
COVID-19 can significantly worsen cardiovascular outcomes, putting patients with preexisting heart conditions at elevated risk for complications, which the researchers say highlights 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,” the news release said.
Survivors need ongoing monitoring
Patients with COVID-19 and STEMI had a 67% higher death rate than those not infected with COVID-19 (45% vs 27%, respectively). Most deaths (86%) occurred during the initial hospitalization. In survivors of the initial hospitalization, one-year death rates were 25% higher in patients with COVID-19 (12% vs 9.6%) and more than double the prepandemic rate of 5.3%.
