News
Dual Anti-thrombotic Therapy Safe For Patients with Atrial Fibrillation and Recent PCI:ENTRUST-AF PCI Results of the ENTRUST-AF PCI trial presented at the ESC Congress 2019
Results from a phase-IIIb, open-label, multi-center, randomized clinical trial comparing the safety of dual anti-thrombotic therapy (DAT) with triple anti-thrombotic therapy (TAT) for patients with atrial fibrillation who have undergone recent (4 hours – 5 days) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), have shown that the DAT regimen (Edoxaban plus a P2Y12 inhibitor) is non-inferior to Vitamin K antagonist(VKA) plus a P2Y12 inhibitor and aspirin or TAT regimen.
SYNTAXES Study: No Significant Difference In All-Cause Death At 10 Years Between PCI and CABG Results of a 10-year Follow-up Study presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2019
A follow-up of a multicenter, randomized controlled trial, the results of which were debuted at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2019, has shown that at 10 years, no statistically significant difference existed in all-cause mortality between percutaneous coronary intevention (PCI) using first-generation paclitaxel-eluting stents and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). However, CABG was shown to provide significant survival benefit in patients with three-vessel disease, but not in patients with left main coronary artery disease.
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.
Population Based Cohort Study: With or Without AFib, CHA₂DS₂-VASc Score is a Sensitive Predictor and Stratifies the Risk of MACCE 22,000 Patient Study Showed Increased Risk of Ischemic Stroke and New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation in Patients Without Atrial Fibrillation
Giulia Renda et al. recently published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology that the CHA2DS2-VASc score is a sensitive measure of predicting new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) and adverse outcomes in patients with and without atrial fibrillation in the middle-aged patient population. Continue reading
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Nationwide Study Shows New-onset Left Bundle Branch Block After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Occurred in 15% of Intermediate Risk Patients and Is Associated with Worse 2 Year Outcomes
According to a new nationwide study, new onset left bundle branch block (LBBB) post transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a recently established therapy for intermediate risk surgical candidates with symptomatic, severe aortic stenosis, is associated with adverse long term clinical outcomes in patients without baseline conduction disturbances or pacemaker. Based on the findings published in the European Heart Journal, these outcomes include cardiovascular mortality, re-hospitalization, new pacemaker implantation, and worsened left ventricular systolic function in intermediate risk patients.
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.
ORBIT-AF Registry: INR Metrics Associated with Bleeding but Not Ischemia
Among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) treated with warfarin, clinical risk scores for major bleeding and thrombotic events were more strongly associated with future clinical events than any International Normalized Ratio (INR) metrics for warfarin control. A post hoc analysis of ORBIT-AF study by Dr. Pokorney et al, published in JAMA Cardiology, revealed. Continue reading
Meta-analysis Shows Vitamin D Supplementation Does Not Improve Cardiovascular Outcomes
In the largest updated meta-analysis study conducted to understand the inverse association between low serum vitamin D supplementation and increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks, vitamin D supplementation was not associated with reduced major adverse cardiovascular events, individual CVD end points (myocardial infarction, stroke, CVD mortality) or all-cause mortality. The findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Cardiology suggest vitamin D supplementation may not confer cardiovascular protection and may not be indicated for this purpose. Continue reading
STS/ACC TVT Registry: Higher Volume Associated with Better TAVR Outcomes
Recent updates from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) maintain the volume requirements of the transcatheter aortic-valve replacement (TAVR) programs to qualify for reimbursement. In corroborate with the CMS updates, the latest data from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology (STS/ACC) Transcatheter Valve Therapy (TVT) Registry by Dr. Sreekanth Vemulapalli et al., published in the New England Journal of Medicine, revealed lower 30-day mortality at hospitals with a high procedural volume.
PROMISE Trial: High-Sensitivity Troponins May Assist in Detecting Obstructive CAD in Symptomatic Outpatients
Increasing concentrations of hsTnI are significantly associated with the presence and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) among stable outpatients with chest pain, an analysis of PROMISE trial indicates. The study, conducted by Prof. James Januzzi et al., is recently published in the June 1, 2019, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Imaging.
Latest Cross-Sectional Study Links Dietary Pattern Specific Protein Biomarkers to Development of Cardiovascular Disease
According to a nationwide cross-sectional study, protein biomarkers along with specific dietary patterns are linked to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). These findings, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, suggest associations between dietary patterns and protein biomarkers have a role in the pathways related to inflammation, endothelial and immune function, cell adhesion and metabolism. Over the years, the role of diet in the prevention of CVD has been scientifically proven; unhealthy dietary components are important risk factors for the total global burden of this comorbidity. Continue reading
New Study Reports That 13% of an Internal Medicine Intern’s Time Spent in Direct Patient Care An Assessment of Inpatient Time Allocation Among First-Year Internal Medicine Residents Using Time-Motion Observation
In an observational study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, Dr. Krisda H. Chaiyachati showed that first-year internal medicine residents spent 66% of their time involved in indirect patient care, this included interacting with the patient’s records or recording their work. On average, residents spent 13% of their day directly involved in patient care and 7% doing educational activities. Continue reading
Study in China Indicates Current Practice of Lipid-Lowering Treatment Needs Improvement
In an article published in the American Heart Journal, Dr. Yueyan Xing emphasized the need to improve on current lipid-lowering treatment practices in patients with a history of myocardial infarction or revascularization. Patients with a previous history of acute coronary syndrome are at a high risk of a recurrent coronary event and death. Lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in these patients is essential in order to reduce the risk of a recurrent event. The authors used the Improving Care for Cardiovascular Disease in China (CCC) Project to assess current lipid-lowering treatment practices in China.
