Month: July 2019
10-Year Study Demonstrates Increased Rate of Cognitive Decline In Patients with Elevated Carotid Artery Pulse Intensity
A study led by Dr. Scott Chiesa published in the European Heart Journal showed that an elevated carotid artery intensity in mid-to-late life was associated with a faster rate of cognitive decline over long-term follow-up. This association was independent of other known cardiovascular risk factors.
Fractional Flow Reserve Aids Decision Making for Intermediate Coronary Lesions: 1-Month Data from FORZA Study
Compared with optical coherence tomography (OCT), fractional flow reserve (FFR) was associated with a higher percentage of medical therapy, lower risk of acute kidney injury, shorter hospital stay, and reduced costs at one month among patients with intermediate coronary lesions. The study by Leone et al., recently published in the Journal of American Heart Association, revealed.
Vascular Risk Factors Tied to Unhealthy Brains, Study from UK Biobank Suggests
Vascular risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, and diabetes were associated with poor brain health. The study by Cox et al., recently published in the European Heart Journal, revealed.
IMPROVE-IT Trial: Intensive Lipid-Lowering Cuts CVD Risk in the Elderly
Among patients hospitalized for an acute coronary syndrome (ACS), adding ezetimibe to simvastatin further reduced the risk of cardiovascular events, and the benefit was ten times greater in the elderly than younger individuals. A secondary analysis of the IMPROVE-IT trial, published in JAMA Cardiology, revealed.
TSR1 Gene Associated with Coronary Dissection in A Chinese Cohort
TSR1 gene, encoding a ribosome biogenesis factor required for the maturation of 40S subunit, was identified as a potential cause of spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) in the study by Sun et al., published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Nationwide Study Shows New-onset Left Bundle Branch Block After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Occurred in 15% of Intermediate Risk Patients and Is Associated with Worse 2 Year Outcomes
According to a new nationwide study, new onset left bundle branch block (LBBB) post transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a recently established therapy for intermediate risk surgical candidates with symptomatic, severe aortic stenosis, is associated with adverse long term clinical outcomes in patients without baseline conduction disturbances or pacemaker. Based on the findings published in the European Heart Journal, these outcomes include cardiovascular mortality, re-hospitalization, new pacemaker implantation, and worsened left ventricular systolic function in intermediate risk patients.
Study Suggests Increased Risk of Coronary Artery Disease in Black Women With Complications During Pregnancy
A study led by Dr. Julian Wichmann published in JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging showed that black women with a history of pregnancy complications had a higher prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) on coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA). Additionally, having a history of gestational diabetes mellitus was independently associated with any and obstructive CAD and CCTA.
1.3 Million Patient Study Shows That Even With New Lower Definition for Hypertension, Elevated Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure Both Independently Increase Risk of Cardiovascular Events
In a recent original cohort study done by Alexander C. Flint and his team published in the New England Journal of Medicine, it was concluded that systolic hypertension, as well as diastolic hypertension, independently affects the risk of cardiovascular adverse events irrespective of the cutoffs used for hypertension(≥140/90 mm Hg or ≥130/80 mm Hg).
Silent Myocardial Infarction Prevails Prior to Sudden Cardiac Death, Autopsy Data Suggests
Among individuals who had sudden cardiac death (SCD) due to ischemic cardiac disease, a substantial number had a previously undetected myocardial infarction at autopsy; some of them had electrocardiographic abnormalities prior to the death. The study by Vähätalo et al., published in JAMA Cardiology, revealed.
ORBIT-AF Registry: INR Metrics Associated with Bleeding but Not Ischemia
Among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) treated with warfarin, clinical risk scores for major bleeding and thrombotic events were more strongly associated with future clinical events than any International Normalized Ratio (INR) metrics for warfarin control. A post hoc analysis of ORBIT-AF study by Dr. Pokorney et al, published in JAMA Cardiology, revealed. Continue reading
Meta-analysis Shows Vitamin D Supplementation Does Not Improve Cardiovascular Outcomes
In the largest updated meta-analysis study conducted to understand the inverse association between low serum vitamin D supplementation and increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks, vitamin D supplementation was not associated with reduced major adverse cardiovascular events, individual CVD end points (myocardial infarction, stroke, CVD mortality) or all-cause mortality. The findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Cardiology suggest vitamin D supplementation may not confer cardiovascular protection and may not be indicated for this purpose. Continue reading
STS/ACC TVT Registry: Higher Volume Associated with Better TAVR Outcomes
Recent updates from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) maintain the volume requirements of the transcatheter aortic-valve replacement (TAVR) programs to qualify for reimbursement. In corroborate with the CMS updates, the latest data from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology (STS/ACC) Transcatheter Valve Therapy (TVT) Registry by Dr. Sreekanth Vemulapalli et al., published in the New England Journal of Medicine, revealed lower 30-day mortality at hospitals with a high procedural volume.
