Cardiovascular

A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that blood pressure (BP) lowering is associated with reduced risk of death and cardiovascular disease (CVD) if the baseline systolic blood pressure (SBP) is 140 mm Hg or higher. Treatment may be considered in patients with coronary heart disease and SBP under 140 mm Hg, but not for primary prevention.

The authors evaluated whether the 2010 Affordable Care Act was associated with changes in physicians’ provision of preventive cardiovascular services.

The biggest challenge of implementing behavioral interventions to improve care for patients with cardiovascular disease is reimbursement models, said Justin Bachmann, MD, MPH, FACC, Cardiologist and Clinical Investigator, Instructor of Medicine and Health Policy, Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

The analysis presented at the American Heart Association looks strictly at healthcare costs, but a broader cost-effectiveness study is planned that will consider drug costs as well as effect on patient quality of life.

Researchers presenting at the American Heart Association look at specific populations within 2 large diabetes drug trials, CANVAS and EMPA-REG OUTCOME.

Digital health, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and precision medicine are the areas where there is the most excitement in innovations for cardiovascular care, said John Rumsfeld, MD, PhD, chief innovation officer at the American College of Cardiology.

During a session at the 2017 American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, a cardiologist joined rheumatologists to give a detailed look at the relationship between rheumatic conditions and cardiovascular disease.

The biggest challenges in promoting cardiovascular prevention strategies is motivating people to change a lifetime of poor habits into healthier habits, explained Christi Deaton, PhD, RN, FAHA, FESC, of the University of Cambridge.

The digital transformation of the cardiology field in the coming years will have a huge impact on the delivery of healthcare, said John Rumsfeld, MD, PhD, chief innovation officer at the American College of Cardiology.

The authors find that sleep in teens fell after 2009, as smartphone use escalated. Lack of sleep has been linked to insulin resistance.

The University of Best Practices physician organization learning collaborative in San Diego County was associated with lower hospitalization rates for heart attacks.

A study has found that both recreational and non-recreational activity reduces the risk of mortality and cardiovascular disease, regardless of the country's economic status.

Excessively low levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides is associated with a higher all-cause mortality among American Indians, according to a new study published online ahead of print in Journal of Diabetes and Its Complications.

Current drugs for pulmonary hypertension treat 3 pathways, but currently there aren't any new drugs to treat different pathways, although there likely will be some in the future, said Simon Gibbs, MD, Reader in Pulmonary Hypertension at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London.

There is an ongoing debate about how aggressively to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, but Steve Nissen, MD, of Cleveland Clinic, argues that studies have shown an aggressive approach to lowering LDL always shows benefits.

Experts said that the frequency and quality of social relationships have a greater effect on mortality than obesity or drinking alcohol, and this commands attention from health systems.

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Houston is expected to face a host of health challenges, including air pollution. Here are 5 facts about how air pollution affects people’s health.

The use of statin drugs in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is associated with benefits including decreased lung-related and all-cause mortality, according to a research.

Researchers have known for years: what happens to mom in pregnancy affects the baby. That holds true with prenatal exposure to air pollution, which has lingering cardiovascular effects, such as birth defects and a higher risk of obesity, explained Jeanette Stingone, PhD, of Mount Sinai Health System.

This week, the top managed care stories included responses to the disaster in Houston after Hurricane Harvey; the approval of the first gene therapy in the United States; and a new cardiovascular indication for a popular drug to treat type 2 diabetes.

The study finds that the GLP-1 receptor agonist can slow progression of kidney disease, one of the most costly and debilitating complications of type 2 diabetes.

The findings will likely add to the controversy over the US dietary guidelines. Lobbyists for grain interests have long been accused of having undue influence in food policy, especially over the now-discarded "food pyramid."

The rivaroxaban plus aspirin combination therapy to treat patients with stable coronary or peripheral artery disease showed such benefits in the COMPASS trial that it should become the standard of care, said John Eikelboom, MBBS, MSc, FRCPC, associate professor at McMaster University.

The results of the COMPASS trial testing rivaroxaban plus aspirin in patients with coronary artery disease or peripheral artery disease showed such significant benefits for reducing ischemic events that it was stopped early, explained Deepak Bhatt, MD, MPH, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

For each level of cardiovascular risk, lifestyle factors remain a significant contributor that can be modified to reduce risk. However, some risk will remain nonmodifiable and require therapy, according to panelists during a session on cardiovascular prevention at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2017, held August 26-30 in Barcelona, Spain.