Advancing Coronary Care: Highlights from The Physiology Course

On June 5–6, 2025, the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation® (MHIF) and Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute®, in partnership with The American College of Cardiology - Minnesota Chapter® gathered healthcare professionals from around the globe for the first course in the United States dedicated to coronary physiology.

Course Directors Dr. Yader Sandoval (Co-Chair, Center for Coronary Artery Disease, Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation), Dr. Emmanouil Brilakis (Chair, Center for Coronary Artery Disease, Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation), Dr. Carlos Collet and Dr. Bernard De Bruyne (Aalst, Belgium) were joined by a faculty roster of key opinion leaders, pioneers, and trialists in coronary physiology. Together, they delivered an in-person educational program focused on how to use coronary physiology for treating epicardial coronary artery disease and diagnose coronary microvascular dysfunction.

The field of coronary physiology helps doctors better understand how blood flows through the arteries to the heart. While epicardial coronary artery disease encompasses blockages in the arteries on the surface of the heart, coronary microvascular dysfunction refers to a problem where the small blood vessels that supply the heart muscle don’t work as they should. The Physiology Course advanced education and collaboration on these complex topics.

Held at the MacMillan Center in Minneapolis, the program featured presentations, debates, discussions, hands-on training, and live case demonstrations. Faculty introduced the latest research and advancements, including wire-based and wireless approaches including CT-based physiology and angiographic-based FFR (i.e. functional coronary angiography). These methods are important to help doctors understand how well blood is reaching the heart and allow physicians to assess the appropriate treatment.

In an effort to train the next generation of interventional cardiologists to effectively utilize coronary physiology assessment techniques, the course also provided educational travel grants and encouraged participation from physician trainees such as medical students, residents and fellows with a research abstract and challenging case competition. Accepted participants presented their posters during the conference reception dinner and the winner in each category gave a short lecture during the course program.

More than 120 healthcare professionals from more than 10 countries attended this inaugural event. Armed with new knowledge, they left empowered to enhance patient care and help drive the field forward!

The MHIF Center for Coronary Artery Disease is dedicated to ongoing research and education to improve the lives of those with the disease. Learn more about our studies and how you can contribute to advancing coronary care.