Cardiology

Providers should be aware that periodontal disease may hinder the efficacy of blood pressure medication.

The seemingly complicated maneuvers of getting patient’s cholesterol better can be resolved with common sense. What’s best for the patient?

Since the PCSK9 inhibitors were approved for cholesterol management by the FDA in 2015, they have been frequently compared.

Wiviott, senior investigator of the DECLARE-TIMI 58 trial, says that SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists are changing the paradigm of how clinicians manage diabetes and cardiovascular risk.

A new study found the annual top-50 ranking is a reliable indicator of cardiovascular disease mortality and patient satisfaction.

Topline data shows that the diabetes medication is non-inferior to placebo with regard to a composite outcome of major adverse cardiovascular events.

Prevalence of hypertension in HIV-positive persons is not attributed to antiretroviral drug treatment in largest adverse event surveillance study.

The septic shock therapy was approved by the FDA last December. How has it fared in its first year of real-world clinical use?

How fatty liver disease and NASH—as well as the comorbidities associated with them—highlighted this year's discussions.

Jay Edelberg, MD, PhD, of Sanofi and Robert Sanchez, PhD, of Regeneron shared about the recent ODYSSEY OUTCOMES trial of alirocumab (Praluent) and accompanying cost-effectiveness study.

“Reassuring” results from a study of 11,692 individuals show that statin use does not affect the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine.

The FDA has expanded Novartis’ eltrombopag (Promacta) to include first-line treatment for adults and pediatric patients aged 2 years and older with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) in combination with standard immunosuppressive therapy (IST).

In analysis, the therapy plus standard immunosuppressive therapy resulted in a complete response rate 27% greater than that historically observed in patients treated with lone IST, over 6 months.

About 21% to 74% of patients with AF will also have obstructive sleep apnea. What is one medical center doing to find these patients in their cardiology department?

Investigators have found that lowering LDL cholesterol may not be the only way to reduce cardiovascular events—reducing inflammation may be the key to improving outcomes.

A popularizing procedure among stroke centers was the basis of clinical research for the medical center, and is now improving in practice.

Using relevant clinical trial data, investigators created a price tag of about $6300 annually for the very effective, often costly inhibitor.

James Januzzi, MD, discusses trial results from the PIONEER-HF trial and what cardiologists and hospitalists should know about sacubitril-valsartan.

How surgeons' duties surround the entire invasive process, and therefore make them something closer to specialists.

Strengths of the DECLARE-TIMI 58 trial included a large primary prevention population, while the nature of the study meant that adherence was likely higher than it would be in a standard setting.

Steven Nissen, MD, discusses the updates to the cholesterol guidelines and how the risk calculator should not be considered an end-all be-all.

The study showed noninferiority with relation to major adverse cardiovascular events and a reduction of heart failure, though no difference in cardiovascular death compared to placebo. There appear to be renal benefits to dapagliflozin as well.

Investigators have found a pair of increased biomarker levels indicate patients with AF are at a greater risk of neurodegeneration.

“These guidelines bring back the concept of adjusting therapy for cholesterol levels, and they recommend more aggressive treatment targets for people in very high risk,” said Cleveland Clinic’s Steven Nissen.

The US Department of Health and Human Services updated guidelines feature key recommendations for young children aged 3-5, youths aged 6-17, adults, older adults, pregnant and post-partum women, as well as adults with chronic health conditions and disabilities.

When compared with enalapril, in patients with acute decompensated heart failure, sacubitril–valsartan led to greater reduction in N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and reduced re-hospitalization for heart failure, and was well tolerated.

In addition to a 25% reduction of risk of future cardiovascular events, icosapent ethyl (Vascepa) lowered the risk of cardiovascular death by 20%.

Ezetimibe 10 mg/day significantly reduced the incidence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular events in elderly patients with high LDL cholesterol compared to control.

Anthony Rosenzweig, MD, Chief of Cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital discusses how exercise can protect the heart and its potential role in cardiac regeneration.

In the VITAL study, investigators found that supplementation with omega-3s and vitamin D did not meet the primary endpoint of significantly reducing major cardiovascular events or total invasive cancer.