Articles related to Cardiology, Interventional

Despite the demonstrated benefits of the recommended quadruple therapy for heart failure, its cost-effectiveness is highly sensitive to drug pricing, necessitating more thorough scrutiny and potential policy interventions to ensure equitable patient access.

It’s clear that addressing the carbon footprint in intensive care units (ICUs) is an important area of concern in tackling the climate crisis. As ICUs are a carbon hotspot, various measures can be taken to reduce their impact on the environment without compromising patient care.

Navigating Asymptomatic Premature Ventricular Contractions: An Appropriate Management Approach In the realm of cardiac evaluations, understanding how to best manage asymptomatic premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) is of vital importance. The nuances of their manifestations and subsequent treatment protocols constitute the crux of this discussion.

Enhancing Cardiovascular Disease Risk Prediction: Comparing Coronary Artery Calcium and Polygenic Risk Scores A Northwestern University study revealed that both coronary artery calcium and polygenic risk scores significantly influence 10-year risk prediction for coronary heart disease. However, coronary artery calcium score demonstrated superior predictive power, reinforcing the integration of these novel tools in risk prediction models. “What this study says is that in white participants enrolled in 2 observational studies, identifying coronary calcium predicted future cardiac events better than our currently available polygenic risk scores.” Dr. Karol E. Watson, PhD, professor of medicine and cardiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles

Unraveling Patient Perspectives on DOAC Safety: Key Findings and Implications for Healthcare Practice A recent study that delves into the complex interactions of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) usage offers insightful information about patient experiences and suggests ways to increase patients’ safety and adherence.

Dive into how the FDA-approved Farxiga is changing the heart failure treatment landscape. Colleagues, let’s dive into a remarkable milestone. Farxiga, known as dapagliflozin, now has FDA approval. This is groundbreaking for heart failure treatment. It applies to all patients, regardless of their left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) status. The approval didn’t happen overnight. Let’s talk about the DELIVER trial, a vital part of the process. It involved over 6,000 patients, all over 40. Each had heart failure, LVEF above 40%, and may or may not have had type 2 diabetes. They took either dapagliflozin or a placebo daily, plus their usual therapy. The trial had a clear goal: time to the first composite event. This included CV death, heart failure hospitalization, or an urgent heart failure visit. The goal applied to everyone, including patients with LVEF less than 60%. Fast forward about 2.3 years, the results were significant. Dapagliflozin cut the composite outcome by 18% versus the placebo. Both worsening heart failure and CV death rates dropped in the dapagliflozin group. The best part? These findings were consistent, even in patients with lower LVEF or diabetes. Expanding the picture, let’s consider two trials together: DELIVER and DAPA-HF. Over 22 […]