News
EAGLES- A Randomized Clinical Trial Showing No Evidence of Smoking Cessation Treatments Association with MACE
EAGLES (Evaluating Adverse Events in a Global Smoking Cessation Study), a randomized clinical trial, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, provides evidence that smoking cessation medications do not increase the risk of serious cardiovascular events in the general population of smokers. Continue reading
Can a Smartphone Camera Detect Atrial Fibrillation?
An original study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association aimed at finding a novel method for screening patients for atrial fibrillation (AF) using an iPhone. It evaluated the use of the smartphone application ‘Cardiio Rhythm’ in detecting AF by using no physical contact facial photoplethysmographic (PPG) signals. Continue reading
Video Augmented Information Delivery to Patients Undergoing Elective PCI Enhances Patient Awareness and Satisfaction
A new multi-center prospective randomized trial published in the American Heart Journal was able to show that a video presentation may be better at helping patients to understand the procedure and risks associated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) compared to standard patient education pamphlets. Continue reading
Delayed Coronary Obstruction: a post-TAVR Complication
A recently published study in the Journal of American College of Cardiology concluded that delayed coronary obstruction (DCO) occurring after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an infrequent complication, associated with a high in-hospital mortality. Continue reading
High Sensitivity Troponin I and Stable Coronary Artery Disease
A recent study published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology found an association between elevated concentrations of high sensitivity troponin I (hsTnI) with increasing prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in stable patients, who were suspected of coronary artery disease and underwent non-emergent coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA).
Tafamidis, A Real Hope for People with Transthyretin Cardiomyopathy?
On Thursday, March 29th, Pfizer announced positive topline results from ATTR-ACT trial of tafamidis in patients with transthyretin cardiomyopathy. According to Pfizer, “Tafamidis met its primary endpoint, demonstrating a statistically significant reduction in the composite of all-cause mortality and frequency of cardiovascular-related hospitalizations compared to placebo at 30 months. The preliminary safety data showed that tafamidis was generally well tolerated in this population and no new safety signals were identified”. Continue reading
Predictors of Device Related Thrombosis After Transcatheter Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion
In a recent study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions, Pracon et al. suggested that the incidence of device related thrombosis (DRT) among patients undergoing percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion is related to patient (history of thromboembolic events and lower left ventricular ejection fraction) and procedural (deep implantation and larger occluder size) characteristics.
Assessment of Long-term Outcomes in Patients Undergoing SAVR
A contemporary cohort study recently published in Journal of the American College of Cardiology highlighted the clinical significance of age and other associated comorbidities in determining the clinical outcome in patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). The 10-year mortality rate was found to be considerably high in elderly SAVR recipients of a bioprosthetic valve and almost one-third of the population exhibited subclinical structural valve degeneration (SVD). Continue reading
Does Operator PCI Volume Influence Mortality?
The number of procedures performed by the operator of a Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) in the previous year has no impact on the 30-day mortality, according to a recent UK study published in the European Heart Journal. Continue reading
Association of High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponins (hs-cTn) and the Risk of New-onset Heart Failure
A recent study, published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology, concluded that there is a strong association of high sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) with the risk of new-onset heart failure (HF), independent of population at risk, cardiovascular risk factors, and natriuretic peptide levels. Continue reading
Role of Cholesterol Screening and Statin Therapy in Hypercholesterolemia
A nationally representative, cross-sectional study published in Circulation highlighted the importance of cholesterol screening and statin prescription in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) and other forms of severe dyslipidemia. It was found that despite the high prevalence of cholesterol screening and awareness, only ≈50% of adults with FH are on statin therapy, with even fewer prescribed a high-intensity statin. Continue reading
Do Procedure and Coronary Lesion Characteristics Impact Clinical Outcomes in Atrial Fibrillation Patients Undergoing PCI?
According to a post-hoc analysis of the PIONEER AF-PCI trial that was recently published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology, there was no impact of complex coronary lesions, stent characteristics, or vascular approach on efficacy or safety outcomes among stented atrial fibrillation (AF) patients who received either rivaroxaban or Vitamin K Antagonists (VKA)-based dual or triple therapy. Continue reading
ICON RELOADED: A New Future for NT-proBNP
A multicenter, international, North American study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has indicated that N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) testing may be valuable in the identification or exclusion of heart failure in emergency department patients with shortness of breath.
SWAP 4 trial: De-escalation of P2Y12 Inhibitors
In a recent article published in The Circulation, it has been found that the use of a loading dose while switching between P2Y12 inhibitors in patients with coronary artery disease is associated with mitigation of the reactivity of platelets. The study has also emphasized that timing of administration of loading dose has no impact on platelet reactivity.
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors-associated Myocarditis
In a recently published study in the Journal of American College of Cardiology, it was suggested that myocarditis following administration of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) for various cancers is underestimated. Myocarditis occurs early in the course of treatment (~ 30 days), with the majority of cases presenting within 3 months of initiation of therapy. ICI-associated myocarditis responded to high doses (1000 mg) of steroids.
HeartMate 3: Magnetic Pump in Advanced Heart Failure
According to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, a fully magnetically levitated centrifugal- flow pump has been found to be superior to a mechanical-bearing axial-flow pump in advanced heart failure patients in terms of survival free of disabling stroke or reoperation for removal in case of device malfunction.
VEST: Wearable cardiac defibrillator decreases mortality post MI
The first randomized trial of the Wearable Cardiac Defibrillator (WCD) was conducted by Dr. Jeffrey Olgin and his colleagues from the University of California and presented at the ACC 2018 in Orlando, Florida. The trial showed that prescribing the WCD was reasonable to protect high-risk patients with a low LVEF (Left ventricular ejection fraction) post-MI until evaluation for an ICD at 40-90 days.
Febuxostat Non-Inferior to Allopurinol in Reduction of MACE but Increases Mortality
In a recent article, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the rates of major cardiovascular events with febuxosat were similar to allopurinol in patients with gout and concomitant cardiovascular disease. However, the mortality rates either due to cardiovascular deaths or any other cause were higher with febuxostat than allopurinol. Continue reading
Frailty and Conventional Risk Scores in Patients Undergoing TAVR
The usage of combined risk models of frailty and conventional risk scores significantly enhances prediction of one-year mortality in patients undergoing TAVR, according to a recent publication in the Journal of American College of Cardiology.
Intervention in Barbershops Improved Blood Pressure Control
The results of a cluster-randomized trial conducted in black barbershops have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine and were presented by Dr Ronald G. Victor from Los Angeles, California at the ACC 2018 Conference in Orlando. The study showed that health promotion by barbers along with medication management in barbershops by pharmacists, resulted in a larger blood pressure reduction in black male barbershop patrons with uncontrolled hypertension as compared to lifestyle modifications and doctor appointments.
