American College of Cardiology

Amgen's monoclonal antibody evolocumab (formerly called AMG 145) did well at inhibiting proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 (PCSK9) and reducing LDL cholesterol in a group of older patients, researchers report.

Certain metabolites could be used as new biomarkers for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

In patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) pulmonary artery hypertension and right ventricular dysfunction are common and associated with mortality. A Duke team looked at ways to improve pulmonary vascular tone.

In heart failure patients, the kidneys can be overwhelmed with fluid volume overload. If these patients do not respond to diuretics, treatment is a major challenge.

While various epidemiological studies have shown obesity to be linked with inflammation and with increased cardiovascular risk, the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP) takes it a step further, strongly predicting the incidence of cardiovascular events.

Medical experts have long debated over which obesity parameter holds the strongest cardiovascular predictive value.

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery has been found to decrease cardiovascular risk in obese patients.

Research has consistently identified obesity as a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Investigators have also reported on the obesity paradox concept suggesting improved prognosis in patients with obesity presenting with acute coronary syndromes.

With a steady rise in energy drink consumption, especially among young adults, several medical studies have connected it to accentuated blood pressure response among caffeine-naïve adults, compared to regular caffeine users.

A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study revealed 86 million Americans suffer from prediabetes, a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and nearly half of prediabetic patients were reported to develop frank diabetes.

Jamal Rana, MD, Oakland, CA, presented research results on metabolic dyslipidemia and the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in adults with diabetes and low LDL-cholesterol.

Chronic illness treatment typically involves some level of long-term use of pharmacotherapy. While these medications may prove efficacious in contesting the disease, their full benefits often go unmet, because nearly 50% of patients do not to take the medications as prescribed.

Some medical experts have contested that patients treated with warfarin with stable INR values might not benefit from being switched to one of the novel oral anticoagulants.

There is a higher risk of certain types of cancer in patients who survive myocardial infarction, according to researchers in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Korean researchers reported on work showing the role a small heat-shock protein, alpha B-crystallin, could play in suppressing arrhythmia.

When the American College of Cardiology meets in San Diego, CA for its annual conference March 14-16 results of several major trials will be presented.

The American College of Cardiology conference in San Diego, CA will feature some of the biggest heart health news from around the world during its annual meeting March 14-16. Among the presentations will be several from doctors and researchers at New York University.

The American College of Cardiology 2015 Annual Scientific Session and Expo is set to begin March 14 in San Diego, CA. MD Magazine's editorial and video team will be there to provide breaking news, physician interviews, and analysis of the 3-day event. Some of the studies presented will likely change the practice of cardiology. Here's a preview.

In atrial fibrillation patients, high blood pressure is associated with increased risk of stroke, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology meeting in Washington, DC in March.

Treatment with methylprednisolone was associated with increased risk of myocardial infarction in high-risk patients 30 days after bypass surgery.

Trial data presented at ACC.14 showed bariatric surgery was associated with much better long-term glycemic control in obese patients with diabetes compared with standard intensive medical therapy alone.

Trial results presented at ACC.14 demonstrated that treatment with metformin immediately after PCI in non-diabetic patients presenting with acute STEMI does not lead to improvements in left ventricular ejection fraction or other measure of cardiac function.

Darapladib, a novel agent targeting an enzyme known to be associated with increased instability of atherosclerotic plaque, failed to show real-world benefit in a large global trial examining mortality and coronary outcomes.

Trial results showed the anti-gout medication colchicine reduced the rate of pericarditis recurrence and hospitalization compared to placebo.

Results from the CHOICE trial presented at ACC.14 showed the Sapien balloon-expandable valve performed slightly better than the CoreValve self-expanding device according to a composite measure of "device success."

The AleCardio trial was halted early due to safety concerns and lack of efficacy. Investigators reported patients with diabetes and acute coronary syndrome experienced elevated risk of heart failure, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and renal dysfunction with no mitigating cardiovascular benefit.

Study results presented at ACC.14 show treatment with PCSK9 inhibitor evolocumab significantly reduces LDL-cholesterol levels in patients with hypercholesterolemia.

Collaboration between American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, Heart Rhythm Society, and the Society of Thoracic Surgery includes guidance on the use of new oral anticoagulants.

Patients with severe aortic stenosis deemed at high surgical risk who were treated with Medtronic's CoreValve self-expanding transcatheter aortic valve had higher one-year survival rates compared to patients treated with surgical aortic valve replacement.

Study data announced at ACC.14 demonstrate renal denervation does not significantly reduce blood pressure in resistant hypertension, contradicting previous studies showing the benefits of the procedure.