MAPLE-HCM: Aficamten Superior to Metoprolol for Improving Exercise Capacity in Symptomatic Obstructive HCM
Key Points: Beta-blockers are widely used as first-line therapy for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), despite limited evidence supporting their efficacy. In the MAPLE-HCM trial, aficamten monotherapy significantly improved exercise capacity,…
An Invasive vs Conservative Strategy Safe But Does Improve MACE in Frail Older NSTEMI Patients: SENIOR-RITA Frail
Key Points: Evidence for NSTEMI management among older adults is limited, and further limited for frail older adults The SENIOR-RITA trial was a multicenter randomized trial of adults older than…
LOSE-AF: Weight Loss Alone Does Not Improve AF Symptoms or Burden in Older Adults
Key Points: LOSE-AF is the first randomized trial to rigorously assess the effect of structured weight loss on AF symptoms in older adults with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). Although participants…
Clopidogrel Monotherapy Significantly Reduced MACE vs Aspirin Monotherapy Post-PCI: SMART-CHOICE 3
Key Points: Standard cardiology practice recommends aspirin monotherapy indefinitely after DAPT for prevention of cardiovascular events after PCI, but some data has suggested clopidogrel therapy may be a superior alternative…
FFR-Guided PCI Associated with Higher Rates of MI Compared to CABG in MVD: Five-Year Results from FAME-3
Key Points: The FAME 3 trial tested whether percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) could offer comparable long-term outcomes to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease…
Sudden Cardiac Arrest Survival Worse in Minorities Among Young Athletes: RACER Cohort from 2010–2023
Key Points: This study presents updated national data from the Race Associated Cardiac Event Registry (RACER) on cardiac arrest incidence and outcomes during long-distance running races in the United States…
Altshock2: No Benefit to IABP in HF-Cardiogenic Shock
Key Points: Prior trials have demonstrated limited benefit to intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) use in acute myocardial infarction-related cardiogenic shock, but the role of IABP in heart failure-related cardiogenic shock…
No Benefit to Fluid Restriction in Chronic HF: FRESH UP
Key Points: While fluid restriction is a standard recommendation for patients with chronic heart failure (HF), there is limited evidence to support its use. The FRESH-UP trial was designed to…
Biomarkers Show Limited Utility in Guiding Early TAVR Timing for Asymptomatic Severe AS: EARLY TAVR Trial
Key Takeaways: Elevated baseline NT-proBNP and hs-cTnT levels were associated with higher cardiovascular event rates, but did not predict greater relative benefit from early TAVR compared to clinical surveillance. The…
Autologous Bone Marrow Cell Therapy Failed to Meet Primary Endpoint in Ischemic Heart Failure: CardiAMP-HF
Key Takeaways: Intramyocardial autologous bone marrow cell therapy was safe in patients with ischemic HFrEF but did not meet its primary efficacy outcome using the 6-minute walk test. Exploratory analyses…
SHR-1918 Safe, Significantly Lowered LDL-C and Triglycerides in Poorly Controlled Hyperlipidemia
Key Takeaways: SHR-1918, an ANGPTL3 inhibitor, significantly reduced LDL cholesterol by approximately 22–30% and triglycerides by 52–63% in patients with ASCVD not optimally controlled by standard lipid-lowering therapy. The safety…
AI-Based ECG Model Enhances Detection of Heart Attack and Need for Coronary Revascularization
Key Takeaways: A deep learning ECG model significantly outperforms clinician interpretation in rapidly identifying patients who require coronary revascularization and accurately diagnosing type 1 myocardial infarction, performing comparably to high-sensitivity…
AI Accurately Detected Severe AS on TTE but Uptake Low Amongst Clinicians: Insights from a Randomized Crossover Study
Key Points: In a randomized crossover study, authors assessed whether artificial intelligence (AI) can improve accuracy of cardiologists when evaluating echocardiograms for severe aortic stenosis (AS). While diagnostic sensitivity did…
PRAGUE-25: Lifestyle Modification Plus Antiarrhythmic Drugs Inferior to Catheter Ablation In Obese Patients
Key Points: Obesity increases the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) by 19–29% for every 5-unit increase in BMI. While catheter ablation has been more effective than antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs), the…
ZENITH Trial: Sotatercept Significantly Reduces Major Morbidity and Mortality Events in High-Risk PAH Patients
Key Points: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease with poor outcomes despite advancements in therapy. Sotatercept, a novel activin signaling inhibitor, targets vascular remodeling in PAH and has…
SUMMIT: Tirzepatide Improved Renal Function in Patients with HFpEF, Obesity, and CKD
Key Points The SUMMIT randomized control trial demonstrated that tirzepatide significantly reduced worsening heart failure events among patients with HFpEF and obesity compared to placebo. This secondary analysis focused on…
EKSTROM Trial: Low-dose Colchicine Reduced Total Plaque Volume on CCTA, but Not Low Attenuation Plaque
Key Points The COLCOT trial demonstrated colchicine improved coronary plaque characteristics in patients with acute coronary syndrome compared with placebo. EKSTROM sought to determine whether colchicine would reduce plaque progression…
Dapagliflozin Reduced LVMI in Patients with CKD : DECODE-CKD
Key Points The DECODE-CKD trial investigated the effects of SGLT-2 inhibitor Dapagliflozin on cardiac structure and function in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). A double blinded, single centered, investigator…
Benefit from Intensive BP Control Across Frailty Statuses – A Post-Hoc Analysis of ESPRIT trial
Key Points The ESPRIT trial assessed whether the efficacy and safety of intensive blood pressure (BP) varies across frailty status compared to control. In this open-label trial, 11,255 patients were…
EARLY TAVR: Delayed TAVR Linked with Increased Risk of Death, Stroke, HF, or HFH Within 2 Years
Key Points: In this sub analysis of the EARLY TAVR trial, the authors aim to evaluate outcomes among all patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), regardless of whether…