NEW ORLEANS — Transcatheter repair of functional mitral regurgitation (or secondary MR) with MitraClip improved quality of life and hemodynamics better than optimal medical therapy alone, COAPT trial analyses showed. Indeed, the COAPT QOL study showed that among patients with symptomatic HF and 3+ to 4+ secondary MR receiving maximally-tolerated medical therapy, edge-to-edge TMVr resulted in substantial early and sustained health status improvement compared with medical therapy alone. Continue reading →

The design of the HEARTLINE randomized trial of up to 180,000 pts for assessing the efficacy of the Apple Watch & educational initiatives to reduce a composite outcome of death, MI and stroke was presented by Dr. C. Michael Gibson, PERFUSE Study Group, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, at ACC 2019, in New Orleans,  LA earlier today. The HEARTLINE Study brings together Johnson & Johnson’s health and behavioral science expertise and long heritage in treating cardiovascular disease with Apple’s technology expertise. Emerging technology holds great potential to help identify people at risk for future disease and develop interventions to prevent disease before it occurs. Leveraging a new heart health app from Johnson & Johnson in combination with Apple Watch’s irregular rhythm notifications and ECG app, the HEARTLINE Study will seek to investigate whether this technology can accelerate the diagnosis of AFib and improve outcomes including the prevention of stroke, as well as assess the impact of a medication adherence program. The study will be conducted in the U.S. only and will be designed as a pragmatic randomized controlled research study for individuals age 65 years or older. Continue reading →

The results of a trial presented by Dr. Adam DeVore at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session (ACC 2019), New Orleans, LA, reflected that among patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction who were hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure, the initiation of sacubitril–valsartan therapy led to a greater reduction in the NT-proBNP concentration as compared with enalapril therapy. In addition to this, the rates of worsening renal function, hyperkalemia, symptomatic hypotension, and angioedema did not differ significantly between the two arms. Continue reading →

According to a randomized controlled trial led by Dr. Michael Gibson, PERFUSE Study Group, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, the implantable cardiac system was found to detect early ST-segment deviation and alert patients of a potential occlusive event. Although the trial did not meet its pre-specified primary efficacy endpoint, the report published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology provided evidence that the device was beneficial among high-risk subjects in the identification of asymptomatic events. Continue reading →

COAPT trial

This prospective, multicenter, open-label, randomized trial aimed to assess the use of transcatheter mitral valve repair in heart failure (HF) patients with mitral regurgitation due to left ventricular dysfunction. A total of 614 patients were randomized to either receiving guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) alone or GDMT in addition to transcatheter mitral-valve repair. The primary efficacy endpoint was all hospitalizations due to heart failure at 24 months of follow-up, while the primary safety endpoint was freedom from device-related complications at 12 months of follow-up. The study showed that the device group had a lower risk of hospitalization for HF (HR 0.53, 95% CI 0.4-0.7) and all-cause mortality (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.46-0.82) at 24 months. Moreover, the rate of freedom from device complications at 12 months was 96.6% which exceeded the prespecified safety threshold. Continue reading →

The EMPA-HEART trial showed that empagliflozin resulted in beneficial effects on left ventricular remodeling at 6 months among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and stable coronary artery disease (CAD) but normal ejection fraction and without a clear heart failure history. The findings were presented by Dr. Subodh Verma at the American Heart Association Annual Scientific Sessions (AHA 2018) in Chicago, Illinois. Continue reading →

The DECLARE–TIMI 58 trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at AHA 2018 showed that in patients with type 2 diabetes who had or were at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, treatment with dapagliflozin was non-inferior for reduction of MACE as compared to placebo but did result in a lower rate of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure. Continue reading →

The VITAL trial conducted by Manson et al. showed that supplementation with either n–3 fatty acids at a dose of 1 g/day or vitamin D3 at a dose of 2000 IU/day was not effective for primary prevention of cardiovascular or cancer events among healthy middle-aged men and women over 5 years of follow-up. The results were reported on Saturday at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions meeting in Chicago and online in the New England Journal of Medicine. Continue reading →

The AHA/ACC 2018 guideline on the management of blood cholesterol, endorsed by at least 10 other medical societies, was published online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and in Circulation to coincide with its grand unveiling at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2018 in Chicago, Illinois.  Continue reading →

The results of a study presented at AHA 2018 have shown that SGLT2 inhibitors (SGLT2i ) have robust benefits on the reduction of hospitalization for heart failure (HF) and progression of renal disease regardless of existing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) or a history of HF. The findings were published online in The Lancet. Continue reading →

A study by Lopes and his colleagues published in JAMA Cardiology has shown that in patients with ACS undergoing PCI, periprocedural loading doses of atorvastatin appeared to reduce the rate of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE) at 30 days, primarily in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Insights from the Statins Evaluation in Coronary Procedures and Revascularization (SECURE-PCI) randomized clinical trial showcased this beneficial effect to be preserved and consistent, regardless of the timing of atorvastatin administration, including within 2 hours before PCI. Continue reading →

This video is supported by an unrestricted educational grant.

Results from the Portico 1 study were presented during a late-breaking session at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics conference in San Diego showing that transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with the new transcatheter heart valve (THV) in patients at increased surgical risk is associated with low 1-year mortality and stroke rates. In the study, favorable hemodynamic results at 1 year were observed with low transvalvular pressure gradient and incidence of significant Paravalvular leakage (PVL).   The results were also published online in the Journal of American College of Cardiology. Continue reading →

The findings of the Pulmonary artery denervation (PADN) trial, presented at the TCT conference on Sept 23rd have shown that PADN is associated with significant improvements in hemodynamic and clinical outcomes including 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) in patients with combined pre- and post-capillary pulmonary hypertension CpcPH. The results of this study were simultaneously published in JACC: Interventions. Continue reading →

For angina patients without obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), adjunctive testing of coronary vascular function during coronary angiography followed by medical therapy targeted to the findings improved angina outcomes, according to the CorMicA trial. In the study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, a tiered approach for assessment for microvascular and/or vasospastic angina among patients with stable angina and no evidence of significant epicardial disease was deemed superior to usual care. Continue reading →

The results of PREPARE-CALC trial, presented at TCT 2018, have shown that among patients with severely calcified coronary lesions, the routine use of upfront high-speed rotational atherectomy (RA) increases stent deliverability compared with the use of balloon modification techniques such as scoring or cutting balloons (MB), with similar rates of angiographic late lumen loss and other clinical outcomes at 9 months. In his presentation in San Diego, the author, Dr. Gert Richardt emphasized that a strategy of provisional MB remained feasible, safe, and effective as long as bailout RA was readily available and offered the advantages of compatibility with smaller sized catheters and less irradiation. Continue reading →

In the long saga of ABSORB trials, the ABSORB IV trial presented at the TCT conference 2018 showed that polymeric coronary bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS) were non-inferior to cobalt-chromium-based Xience DES for cardiovascular outcomes of target lesion failure and angina in fairly simple lesion types, with lower acute procedural success in a 1 year period. The results for this trial were published today in The Lancet. Continue reading →

The results of the ULTIMATE trial, presented at the TCT conference 2018, have shown that IVUS-guided PCI is superior to angiography-guided PCI in the prevention of target vessel failure in an all-comers population. The study findings have been simultaneously published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Continue reading →

The FAST-FFR study conducted by Fearon and his colleagues, and presented at the annual TCT conference 2018, has shown that Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR_angio) measured from the coronary angiogram alone has a high sensitivity, specificity and accuracy compared with pressure-wire derived Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR). The results of this study were published ahead of print in Circulation. Continue reading →

Results from a subgroup analysis of the TriValve Registry presented at TCT 2018 showed that interventional tricuspid edge-to-edge valve repair was safe with improvement in outcomes in patients, with high procedural success rates. Continue reading →