Safety and care of no fasting prior to catheterization laboratory procedures: a non-inferiority randomized control trial protocol (SCOFF trial)
KEY POINTS: Fasting before cardiac catheterization is a common practice, however, the evidence supporting its benefit is limited The SCOFF trial demonstrated that during routine cardiac catheterization with conscious sedation,…
FINEARTS-HF – Finerenone Improves outcomes in in HF with mildly reduced and preserved ejection fraction
KEY POINTS: There is a scarcity of treatments for HFpEF and HFmrEF with a high burden of disease worldwide In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, finerenone, a non-steroidal MRA, significantly…
GUARD–AF: Wearable ECG Patch Increased the Yield of AF Diagnosis
Key Points: A 14-day heart rhythm monitoring with a wearable patch in primary care increased the diagnostic yield for atrial fibrillation by 52% compared to usual care. Despite treatment with…
OCEANIC AF – Asundexian is inferior to apixaban for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation
Key Points: Factor XIa inhibition may reduce stroke risk while causing bleeding. In this phase III trial, asundexian, a factor XIa inhibitor, was associated with a higher incidence of stroke…
Edoxaban Monotherapy Associated with Better Net Clinical Benefit than Edoxaban Plus Single Antiplatelet in Patients with AF and Stable CAD: EPIC-CAD
Key Points: In patients with stable coronary artery disease and atrial fibrillation, multiple society guidelines recommend the use of monotherapy with oral anticoagulants after an early period of dual antithrombotic…
STEEER-AF: A Structured Educational Program for Clinicians Improved Adherence to Guideline Recommendation in AF
Key Points: Adherence to guideline recommendations for AF management is suboptimal. STEEER-AF, the first randomized trial conducted by the ESC, assigned treatment centers across Europe to a short, targeted, and…
IVORY FINALE: Low-Dose IL-2 Reduces Arterial Inflammation after ACS
Key Points: While inflammation is critical to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, few available anti-inflammatory treatments have been tested in ACS. In IVORY FINALE, low-dose interleukin 2 (IL-2) was compared to…
QUADRO – Quadruple Polypill More Effective In Lowering Blood Pressure Than Taking Three Separate Medications in Resistant Hypertension
Key Points: Treatment of resistant hypertension often involves at least three or more medications, but non-adherence increases as the number of pills increases. In the QUADRO trial, adding bisoprolol to…
A Single Combined Measure Of hsCRP, LDL-C, And Lp(A) Predicts Incident CV Events Over 30 Years Among Women’s Health Study Participants
Key Points: While drug trials evaluate the short-term cardiovascular risk associated with elevated, blood biomarkers, little is known about the long term (20-30 year) risk conferred by these biomarkers, alone…
ASSURE DES: No Difference In Ischemic Events If Aspirin Is Interrupted Or Continued In Patients With DES Undergoing Non-Cardiac Surgery
Key Points: Anti-platelet therapy after coronary drug eluting stent (DES) placement reduces the risk of future ischemic events, but the risk of in-stent thrombosis with temporary interruption of anti-platelets decreases…
Morning vs. evening dosing of blood pressure meds: No differences in outcomes or safety for either community-dwelling adults or frail nursing home residents
Key Points: Blood pressure follows a circadian rhythm, peaking after waking and dipping during sleep. While elevated nocturnal pressures are associated with adverse cardiovascular events, it is uncertain whether taking…
NOTION-3: Revascularization in Patients Undergoing TAVI Associated with Lower Risk of MACE vs Conservative Treatment
Key Points: The NOTION-3 trial found that FFR-guided revascularization with PCI in TAVI patients with coronary artery disease significantly reduced the composite endpoint of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, and urgent…
TAVI Superior to Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in Women: RHEIA Trial
Key Points: The RHEIA trial found that TAVI was superior to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in women with severe aortic stenosis, significantly reducing the composite endpoint of all-cause mortality,…
SWEDEGRAFT Trial: No Advantage of No-Touch vs Conventional Vein Harvesting in Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
Key Points: The SWEDEGRAFT study is a prospective, binational multicenter, open-label, registry-based trial in patients undergoing first isolated non-emergent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), randomized 1:1 to no-touch or conventional…
Transcatheter Mitral-valve Repair Lowers Hospitalization or CV Death vs Medical Therapy Alone in HF with Moderate to Severe MR: RESHAPE-HF2 Trial
Key Points: The Mitral Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (M-TEER) procedure with the MitraClip device has shown in the previous COAPT trial to reduce heart failure hospitalizations and mortality in patients with…
Continuation of Anticoagulation Non-Inferior to Interruption during TAVI: POPular PAUSE TAVI Trial.
Key Points: Many patients who undergo transcatheter aortic-valve implantation (TAVI) have an indication for oral anticoagulation. However, there is uncertainty over the safety and efficacy of continuing anticoagulation versus holding…
Pooled Analysis Showed Semaglutide Reduced Combined CV death or Worsening HF and Worsening HF alone but No Significant Effect on CV Death
Key Points: Heart failure with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction (hereafter referred to as HFpEF) is the most common type of heart failure and is associated with a high…
Transcatheter Edge-To-Edge Repair Is Non-Inferior To Surgery In Patients With Secondary Mitral Regurgitation: MATTERHORN Trial
Key Points: The MATTERHORN trial found that the transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) procedure was non-inferior to surgical mitral valve repair in reducing functional mitral regurgitation in heart failure patients with…
T-TEER Significantly Reduced the Severity of Secondary Tricuspid Regurgitation and Improved Quality of Life. TRI-FR Trial
Key Points: The TRI.FR trial found that tricuspid transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (T-TEER) together with optimal medical therapy significantly improved the clinical outcomes and reduced tricuspid regurgitation severity compared to optimal…
ABYSS – Beta Blocker Interruption in Post-Myocardial Infarction Patients
Key Points: In the ABYSS trial, 3700 patients who had a left ventricular ejection fraction ≥ 40% and were > 6 months post myocardial infarction were randomized to receive beta…