OPTIMA-AF Trial – One-month Dual Therapy After PCI Non-inferior to 12 Months, With Lower Bleeding in AF Patients
Key Points: • In patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) undergoing PCI, prolonged dual antithrombotic therapy increases bleeding risk. • OPTIMA-AF tested whether one-month of dual therapy (DOAC + P2Y12i) followed…
OCEAN: Ongoing Anticoagulation May Not be Necessary After 1-year Post Successful AF Ablation
Key Points: Atrial fibrillation (AF) increases the risk of stroke, and long-term oral anticoagulation is generally recommended for patients with atrial fibrillation and elevated stroke risk. However, whether there is…
CLOSURE-AF: Left Atrial Appendage Closure Fails to Achieve Noninferiority to Medical Therapy in AF Patients With High Bleeding Risk
Key Points: The CLOSURE AF study compared catheter-based left atrial appendage closure with physician-directed standard medical care (including timely anticoagulant blood thinning when eligible) in patients with atrial fibrillation at…
DARE-AF Trial: Dapagliflozin Did Not Reduce AF Burden After Catheter Ablation
Key Points: SGLT2 inhibitors have shown potential antiarrhythmic benefits in cardiometabolic disease, but their role in low-risk AF patients is unknown. DARE-AF is the first randomized trial to assess dapagliflozin…
META-AF Trial – Metformin Reduces Arrhythmia Recurrence After AF Ablation in Overweight, Non-diabetic Patients
Key Points: Obesity is a well-established risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF) and is associated with greater risk of AF progression and treatment failure. Observational studies have linked metformin use…
VESALIUS-CV: PCSK9-Inhibitor Evolocumab Reduces MACE for Primary Prevention
Key Points: PCSK9-inhibitors – including evolocumab – are highly effective LDL-C–lowering medications that reduce major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients who have had a previous cardiovascular (CV) event, such…
DR10624, a First-in-Class FGF21/GLUCAGON/GLP-1 Receptor Triple Agonist, Significantly REDUCED Triglycerides, Lipids, and Liver Fat in Patients with Severe HYPERTRIGLYCERIDEMIA
Key Points: DR10624 is a first-in-class triple agonist of the FGF21, glucagon, and GLP-1 receptors, designed to improve metabolic parameters in patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia. In a randomized, placebo-controlled Phase…
NEWTON-CABG: Evolocumab Did Not Improve Vein Graft Patency After CABG
Key Points: Saphenous vein graft (SVG) failure is common after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), with an occlusion rates of 20% within the first year after surgery. The role of…
In-Hospital Dapagliflozin Does Not Reduce CV Death or Worsening HF in Two Months, but Meta-Analysis Signals Potential Early Benefit
Key Points: Dapagliflozin is a key component of GDMT for heart failure, but it is unknown whether inpatient initiation improves outcomes. The DAPA ACT HF-TIMI 68 was a randomized, double-blind…
AI-Powered Virtual Assistant Boosts GDMT Optimization. ASSIST-HF SIRIO
Key Points: Optimization of GDMT is critical, particularly in the initial months after diagnosis of HFrEF. An AI-powered virtual assistant resulted in 100% of enrolled patients on maximally tolerated doses…
Sacubitril/Valsartan Outperforms Enalapril in HFrEF due to Chronic Chagas Cardiomyopathy (CCC): The PARACHUTE-HF Trial
Key Points: Chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCC) patients are underrepresented in heart failure (HF) trials and have a worse prognosis than other etiologies The PARACHUTE-HF trial was the first randomized, phase…
An AI-enabled Stethoscope for Early Detection of Cardiac Conditions Increases Detection: TRICORDER
Key Points: Eighty percent of HF cases are diagnosed only during emergency hospital admissions, which negatively impacts survival rates and increases treatment costs The TRICORDER trial was a cluster randomized…
Home-Based Hypertension Care Significantly Lowers Blood Pressure in Rural South Africa: The IMPACT-BP Trial
Key Points: Hypertension (HTN) is a major driver of stroke and cardiovascular disease, especially in rural and resource-limited areas The IMPACT-BP trial was an open-label, randomized trial in rural South…
Zilebesiran May Benefit Selected Groups of Uncontrolled Hypertension with High CV Risk: KARDIA-3
Key Points: Many patients do not achieve BP goals in hypertension (HTN) due to adherence issues, so zilebesiran, a twice-yearly dosed RNA-i antihypertensive, may demonstrate benefit in these patients The…
Essence-TIMI 73b: Olezarsen Safely and Effectively Reduces Triglycerides in Patients With Moderate Hypertriglyceridemia and High CV Risk
Key Points: Olezarsen, an anti-sense oligonucleotide targeting APOC3 mRNA, is approved to lower triglycerides (TG) in adults with rare familial chylomicronemia, but its safety and efficacy in a broader populations…
VICTOR: Vericiguat Did Not Meet Primary Endpoint But Reduced CV Death in Stable, Ambulatory HFrEF
Key Points: The VICOTRIA trial previously demonstrated that vericiguat reduced the risk of heart failure (HF) hospitalization or cardiovascular (CV) death in patients with recently decompensated HFrEF. The current VICTOR…
VICTOR + VICTORIA: Vericiguat Showed Benefits Across the Spectrum of HFrEF Severity
Key Points: VICTORIA and VICTOR and were randomized trials that evaluated vericiguat versus placebo in HFrEF patients with and without recent decompensation, respectively. This pre-specified pooled analysis of over 11,000…
ABC-AF Trial: Personalized Risk-Based Treatment Did Not Improve Outcomes in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation
Key Points: The ABC-AF trial evaluated whether treatment recommendations based on biomarker-based risk scores could improve outcomes compared with standard guideline-based care in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Tailored management…
BaxHTN: Baxdrostat Significantly Reduced Blood Pressure in Patients with Uncontrolled or Resistant Hypertension
Key Points: Uncontrolled and resistant hypertension remains a major challenge despite treatment with multiple antihypertensive agents. Baxdrostat, a selective aldosterone synthase inhibitor, significantly reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP) at 12…
HI-PRO Trial: Extended Low-Intensity Apixaban Reduces Recurrent VTE in Patients with Provoked VTE and Enduring Risk Factors
Key Points: Standard anticoagulation for provoked venous thromboembolism (VTE) is often discontinued after 3–6 months, but patients with enduring risk factors may remain at elevated risk for recurrence. The HI-PRO…