Fig. 1

a A case example from the study with a large anterior STEMI with microvascular obstruction and central mitral regurgitation jet with MR volume of 8.4 ml. b A case example of a study demonstrating a small infarct with very little evidence of mitral regurgitation. c Scatter plot demonstrating an association between the degree of acute MR and MVO. d Bar chart demonstrating differences in acute MR and with/without the presence of MVO (median and its standard error, P-value Mann–Whitney). e Bar chart of the location of infarct and its association to the extent of acute MR