In a Recent Large Cohort Renin–Angiotensin–Aldosterone System Inhibitors Were Not Associated with Increased Risk of COVID-19 and Severe Illness

Medications acting on the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), such as ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers, did not increase the likelihood of a positive test for Covid-19 or the severity of the Covid-19. A cohort study of more than 12,500 patients conducted in a large health network in New York City, led by Dr. Reynolds, revealed. The findings of the study were recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Continue reading

TIM-HF2 Trial: Morbidity and Mortality Benefit of Remote Telemedical Interventional Management In Heart Failure No Longer Observed 1 Year After End of Trial​ Extended follow-up results from the telemedical interventional management in patients with heart failure II (TIM-HF2) randomised trial

The positive effect of the remote patient management (RPM) intervention on morbidity and mortality, seen in the Telemedical Interventional Management in Heart Failure II (TIM-HF2) trial was no longer observed 1 year after stopping the RPM intervention. The extended follow-up results of the TIM-HF2 trial led by Dr. Koehler (Department of Cardiology and Angiology, Centre for Cardiovascular Telemedicine, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany) was recently published in the Lancet. Continue reading

Patients with Out-Of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Treated at Teaching Hospitals Are More Likely to Survive to 30 Days, Compared with Non-Teaching Hospitals

In a large population-based study, a significant and sustained survival benefit was observed in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest treated at teaching hospitals. The report of the study led by Dr. Czarnecki was recently published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. Continue reading

Severe Coronary Calcification Might Delay Healing Following Implantation of Newer-Generation Drug-Eluting Stents

In an autopsy-based, histopathological analysis of stented coronary lesions, severe calcification was an independent risk factor for delayed strut coverage and healing after newer-generation DES. The report of the study led by Torri was recently published in the European Heart Journal.

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One in Eight Patients with Atherosclerotic Cardiac Disease Experience Cost-Related Medication Nonadherence

One in eight patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease reports medication nonadherence due to cost, according to a nationally representative survey of more than 14,000 US adults. The findings of the study led by Dr. Rohan Khera (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, US) was recently published in Circulation.

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Blinded Post-PCI Physiologic Assessment Detected Residual Ischemia After Angiographically Successful Result The DEFINE PCI Study

The result of a study, presented at ACC 2019 in March, 2019 and recently published in JACC Interventional Cardiology, showed that despite angiographically successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), physiological assessment detected residual ischemia in 1 out of 4 patients after coronary stenting. The majority of the cases were due to inappropriate focal lesions which seem amenable to treatment with additional PCI.

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Cardiac Rehabilitation Is Associated With Decreased Hospitalization and Mortality After Cardiac Valve Surgery

Cardiac rehabilitation after cardiac valve surgery is associated with lower hospitalizations and mortality at one year. A recent cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries, published in JAMA Cardiology, revealed. 

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THEMIS Study: Ticagrelor Plus Aspirin Associated with Lower Ischemic Event Rate but Higher Bleeding Rate Than Aspirin Alone in Patients with Diabetes and Stable Coronary Artery Disease

Use of ticagrelor plus aspirin in patients with stable coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes significantly lowers the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events compared with aspirin alone, but at the cost of higher major bleeding, according to the THEMIS study. The results were presented at ESC 2019 and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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The COMPLETE Timing Substudy: A Randomized Trial of Complete Staged Revascularization Vs. Infarct Artery PCI Alone in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction and Multivessel Disease – Importance of Revascularization Timing

The results of a substudy of the COMPLETE Trial were presented at TCT 2019 by Dr. David Wood, an interventional cardiologist, and Professor of Medicine at the University of British Columbia, Canada. The analyses revealed that compared with culprit-lesion only PCI, the timing of complete revascularization, whether performed early during the index hospitalization or after discharge have similar benefits on major cardiovascular events.

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EWTOPIA 75 Trial: Lowering LDL-Cholesterol with Ezetimibe Prevents Cardiovascular Events in the Elderly

Individuals older than 75 years treated with ezetimibe had a significantly lower risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular events over 4 years compared with standard care, according to the results of the EWTOPIA 75 trial recently published in Circulation.

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Meta-analysis Shows Reduced 1-Year Mortality with TAVR in Low-Risk Severe AS Patients

In a meta-analysis of RCTs comparing TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement) versus SAVR (Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement) in low-risk patients with severe AS, TAVR was associated with a significantly lower risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality at 1 year follow up. The study conducted by Kolte et.al was recently published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology.

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PolyIran Trial: Polypill Prevents Cardiovascular Events PolyIran Trial: Fixed-Dose Combination Therapy With Aspirin, a Statin and Two Anti-hypertensives Reduced Cardiovascular Events As Compared to Non-Pharmacological Intervention

A four-component polypill, including aspirin, atorvastatin, hydrochlorothiazide, and enalapril or valsartan, effectively reduced major cardiovascular events in a real-life setting study. The results of the PolyIran trial by Roshandel G. et al. was published in Lancet.

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CLIMA Registry: OCT-Defined Plaque Morphology Links to Major Coronary Events CLIMA Registry: Presence of Multiple High Risk Plaque Features Detected By Optical Coherence Tomography Associated With Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Events

Data from CLIMA registry shows that simultaneous presence of four optical coherence tomography (OCT) plaque vulnerability features are associated with a seven-fold increased risk of future major coronary events. The study, led by Prati et al., is recently published in the European Heart Journal.

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Novel Physiology-Based Method of Estimating Myocardial Ischemic Burden

Murai et al. devised a novel physiology-based method of estimating the amount of myocardium subtended by coronary stenosis, which is feasible and can be performed in the catheterization laboratory with a Doppler sensor-equipped guidewire. The study was published in the recent issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions.

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Biologic Therapy for Psoriasis Associated with Reduced Coronary Inflammation

Anti-inflammatory biologic therapy used for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis is associated with reduced coronary inflammation in patients with the skin condition. The recent study by Elnabawi et al., published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Cardiology, revealed.
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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