The American College of Cardiology (ACC) announced Monday, May 11, that it will start using two data registries to track and study the relationship between COVID-19 and heart disease.
Hospitals already contributing to the NCDR Chest Pain-MI and CathPCI registries will be able to “add to the world’s growing knowledge on the impact of the virus on cardiovascular disease,” according to the ACC. New hospitals can also join the registries and begin sharing any applicable patient data related to the ongoing pandemic.
By updating these registries to include COVID-19 data, the ACC hopes to monitor how COVID-19 affects patients who suffer a variety of major cardiac events or medical procedures.
“Registries will play a key role in understanding how this virus influences the care and outcomes for individuals with heart disease, both now and in the future,” NCDR Management Board Chair and Chief Scientific Advisor Frederick Masoudi, MD, said in a prepared statement. “We already collect high-quality clinical data to support hospitals in providing the highest quality care. Now it is critical to collect additional data that will provide key insights on the quality of care and outcomes of heart disease patients in the COVID-19 era.”
“The ACC remains committed to helping its members continue to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health.” ACC President Athena Poppas, MD, said in the same statement. “We are learning every day how COVID-19 impacts our patients. By adapting our registries to answer pressing scientific questions and knowledge gaps, we can ensure that our cardiovascular care team has validated data and updated tools to provide the highest quality care particularly during these uncertain times.”
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.