OPTIMIST Program

Where others may see a dead end, we see the opportunity to take a different road.

For the majority of Americans with heart disease, traditional medical approaches—including lifestyle changes, medication, angioplasty and surgery—offer a clear and successful answer to the problems they face.

But for others—despite the best efforts of physicians and other caregivers—these traditional approaches have not worked. Their heart disease has a real, ongoing impact on their daily activities, their relationships with others and the quality of their lives. For many of these individuals, it may seem that there are no other options and no real hope for the future.

At the Minneapolis Heart Institute, we don’t see it that way. Where others may see a dead end, we see the opportunity to take a different road.

The OPTIMIST Program offers new approaches to improve quality of life for individuals who have coronary artery disease with complex blockages that make angioplasty or surgery difficult or impossible, and for those with chronic angina who do not respond to common treatments. Our program’s name—OPTIMIST—stands for OPTions In Myocardial Ischemic Syndrome Therapy. For us, it is more than a handy acronym. It means helping patients who might have thought they were beyond help.

OPTIMIST Program Alternatives Patients who join the OPTIMIST program have access—in one location—to a range of treatment options, suited to their individual needs and health status. All of our patients meet with nurses and physicians from our staff to decide, together, on the best treatment or research option. Those options include:

• Enhanced External Counterpulsation (EECP) is a noninvasive therapy that appears to stimulate the opening of new, natural pathways around narrowed or blocked arteries by compressing the lower limbs to increase blood flow toward the heart.
• Myocardial Angiogenesis research is the study of growth hormones used to stimulate the natural process for growth of new blood vessels to increase blood supply to the heart. Improving blood flow is the most effective method to relieve the symptoms of coronary artery disease and reduce the long-term risk of a heart attack.
• New Drugs are being actively developed for treatment of chronic angina. For example, Ranolazine is a compound that may increase the efficiency of oxygen use by the heart by shifting the heart’s energy production from fatty acids to the more oxygen-efficient glucose. The amino acid L-arginine has been shown to act on the lining of blood vessels to relax the vessel wall, and therefore, improve blood flow.
• Spinal Cord Stimulation is an ongoing research study that uses a surgically-implanted electrical stimulator to deliver mild electrical signals to the area of the spinal cord that corresponds to the location of a patient’s angina. These electrical signals ease the sensation of angina by interfering with the transmission of angina pain signals.
• Transmyocardial Laser Revascularization (TMR) uses a laser probe to create channels through the heart muscle to restore the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart. In research development since the 1960s, TMR may be used along with coronary artery bypass surgery to improve circulation to the heart muscle.
• Other Options In the Minneapolis Heart Institute’s OPTIMIST Program, we’re committed to finding new options. Our ongoing research focuses on finding new approaches or using existing treatments in beneficial new combinations.

Choose the link below for information about OPTIMIST research trials in progress at the Minneapolis Heart Institute and Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation.

Angiogenesis Research/The OPTIMIST Program

The physicians and staff of the OPTIMIST Program understand the challenges of not being able to find a solution to a condition that changes the way you live and the way you think about the future. We are committed to working with you to find the best solution.

Our physicians and staff are nationally recognized for their expertise and experience. The OPTIMIST Program is a collective effort of three organizations known for their understanding of and commitment to excellence in heart care: Abbott Northwestern Hospital, the Minneapolis Heart Institute and the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation.