UPMC Cardiology Chief to Serve as National Principal Investigator for AID-MI Clinical Trial

Samir Saba, MD, co-director, UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute; chief, Division of Cardiology, will serve as national principal investigator for the Arrhythmia Detection After MI (AID-MI) clinical trial. This physician-initiated pilot, prospective, randomized, controlled trial will evaluate the impact of insertable cardiac monitors (ICM) on management of patients who have experienced acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

As part of the AID-MI trial, 50% of patients will receive an ICM within 21 days of index AMI. The study will enroll 200 patients who have experienced ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) or non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) at up to 10 sites across the United States. The primary outcome will measure changes to patient management and time to diagnosis and/or treatment of cardiac arrhythmia.

Inclusion criteria includes:

• 18 years old or older
• AMI (STEMI and NSTEMI)
• Willing to give written/informed consent
• Expected discharge from hospital within 7 days of AMI
• Willing to receive ICM insertion within 21 days of index AMI

Dr. Saba has extensive experience in the management of patients at high risk of sudden cardiac death, a group to which post AMI belong to. While previous studies showed that implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) placement less than 40 days post-AMI reduces arrhythmic mortality, non-arrhythmic mortality increased, suggesting that post-AMI patients may have a higher risk of mortality from other causes and that a timely diagnosis is important. Additional research is needed to identify post-AMI patients with arrhythmias who could potentially benefit from other therapies besides the ICD, such as pacemaker insertion or initiation of new medications.

Prior to his current role as co-director, Dr. Saba served as director of Cardiac Electrophysiology at the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute. He is a nationally recognized expert in the treatment of arrhythmia and heart failure and has published more than 300 peer-reviewed manuscripts. Dr. Saba has been awarded various grants by the National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, and American College of Cardiology. He serves as Harry S. Tack Chair Professor, in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, as well as Professor in Clinical and Translational Science.

Reach out to Donna Simpson, RN, UPMC lead site coordinator, at 412-647-4463 or simpsondm@upmc.edu to enroll a patient or for more details.

The AID-MI trial is funded by Abbott.