ACC: American College of Cardiology

Heart disease is America’s top killer, and people living in poverty are affected at higher rates. With that in mind, the American College of Cardiology devoted devoted a 3-part intensive to this issue at the 66th Scientific Session.

The Million Hearts initiative launched in 2012 set a lofty goal of preventing 1 million cardiovascular deaths in 5 years, but did not quite achieve that target. According to the program’s executive director, Janet Wright, MD, FACC, Million Hearts will continue to make progress in part due to the solid foundations it has formed in the initial stage.

The Quality Payment Program (QPP) from CMS, including the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), represents a shift toward focusing on quality measures, but there are resources available to help clinicians adjust to these changes, explained William Borden, MD, FACC, FAHA, associate professor of medicine and director of healthcare delivery transformation at the George Washington University.

Research from the REACH trial presented at the American College of Cardiology 66th Scientific Session indicated that participants who received the REACH eCounseling intervention showed significant improvements in measures of hypertension management, according to lead study author Rob Nolan, PhD, CPsych, director of Cardiac eHealth at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and clinical psychologist and scientist at the Toronto General Research Institute.

Results from the CVD-REAL study seek to answer questions raised by the EMPA-REG OUTCOME study: do the effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on heart failure apply to a broad population?

At the American College of Cardiology Scientific Session, a study of prescriptions for PCSK9 inhibitors confirms what doctors say about trying to get their patients access to the cholesterol drug.

Past study results had raised concerns about the effect of lipid-lowering drugs like evolocumab on cognitive function, but the EBBINGHAUS trial presented at the American College of Cardiology 66th Scientific Session may finally help put those fears to rest, explained lead study author Robert P. Giugliano, MD, MSc, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

The study was the first head-to-head trial to compare 2 common options for treatment to prevent recurrent venous thromboembolism.

Coverage from the American College of Cardiology 2017 Scientific Session.

The study's lead author said the findings may show something similar to the "obesity paradox," where high-risk patients fare better than expected due to frequent follow-up by physicians.

The study from Sweden found a substantial benefit for men taking the class of drugs that was discovered by accident when researchers were developing a treatment for angina 2 decades ago.

The study finds that this biomarker can show which patients may develop heart disease even if they have no current blockage or elevated cholesterol levels.

Researchers have identified another high associated with marijuana use: the risk of heart failure and cerebrovascular accidents.

The nation's top food and drug regulator enjoyed a warm welcome from colleagues on the final day of the 65th Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology.

While overall data did not suggest a benefit for the drugs, a look at the effects on patients whose cardiac arrests were witnessed shows the benefit of reaching patients quickly.

The data were submitted to the FDA following idarucizumab’s accelerated approval last year, which is granted to therapies that address an unmet medical need.

Results from the GAUSS-3 trial presented Sunday at the American College of Cardiology should be good news for Amgen, but an editorial in JAMA says the cost of evolocumab exceeds "willingness to pay" limits.

A small study of sudden out-of-hospital deaths raises questions about the quality of primary care, especially for women.

The 2013 guideline update from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association drew criticism when it was presented. Data presented in today's poster session at the ACC Scientific Session revealed unexpected results.

The half-day program covered healthy eating, how to prescribe exercise, evidence about stress reduction, and other lifestyle topics, as part of the American College of Cardiology's focus on prevention.

Greetings from First Lady Michelle Obama and a lecture from a non-cardiologist on population health set the stage for the 65th Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology. Prevention is the focus of this year's meeting.

Results from the HOPE-3 trial, presented on the opening day of the 65th Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology, suggest cholesterol-lowering statins could have preventive benefits in broader groups of patients than previously thought.

The Cardio-Oncology Intensive during the Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology reflects the increased need for improved diagnostic tools and cardioprotective strategies as cancer patients live longer. Besides a second malignancy, heart disease accounts for most morbidity and death in cancer survivors.

A study that combined socioeconomic data and hospital-level data on quality care after myocardial infarction showed that hospitals that serve the poorest Americans adhere to high standards, but patient outcomes do not always reflect that high-quality acute care.

The study drug, Bendavia, was developed to improve mitochondrial response when oxygen returns to the tissue affected by a heart attack. Results showed some improvement, but not at levels that were statistically significant.

Patients in the study were given support through a weight loss clinic for a 4-year period. Those who had sustained weight lost and did not let their weight fluctuate were most likely to have arrythmia-free survival.

Amgen's cholesterol-fighting PCSK9 inhibitor was shown to reduce the likelihood that patients would suffer cardiovascular events. The question now is whether FDA will grant approval soon and how widely the drug will be used, given speculation about its cost.

Identifying which patients with diabetes will develop heart disease is not as straightforward as it might seem. This session explored the use of biomarkers, imaging, and how a population health-based model will do a better job of identifying women at risk.

Cardiologists treat patients who are older, sicker, and more reliant on Medicare. That means they must pay attention to new payment models from CMS that reduce reliance on fee-for-service and increase the presence of accountable care organizations.

Results from a study of long-term use of this dual anti-platelet therapy suggest patients may be able to switch to a 60 mg dose at the 1 year mark after a heart attack, rather than 90 mg.