Cardiovascular

The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC® ) interviewed Martha Gulati, MD, cardiologist at Banner – University Medicine Heart Institute, on findings of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) levels in relation to cardiovascular outcomes and smoking cessation with e-cigarettes. These studies are part of the 2020 American College of Cardiology / World Congress of Cardiology Virtual Experience.

In VICTORIA, patients within the first 3 quartiles of peptide elevation had results more impressive than the overall findings. However, patients with the highest quartile did not seem to benefit. This raises the question whether the sickest of the sick patients will benefit from vericiguat, said Javed Butler, MD, MPH, MBA, chairman for the Department of Medicine at the University of Mississippi.

We need more than ever credible clinical data both on the pandemic, but also how to understand how the pandemic’s going to affect patients in the cardiovascular field, said Richard Kovacs, MD, FACC, clinical cardiologist and president of the American College of Cardiology (ACC).

Results from VICTORIA show vericiguat produced a 10% relative risk reduction in the highest-risk patients with heart failure. Study patients had about 3 times the health risk seen in recent heart failure trials, which showed higher relative risk reductions. However, VICTORIA saw a 4% absolute risk reduction, which is the same as the others, said Javed Butler, MD, MPH, MBA, chairman for the Department of Medicine at the University of Mississippi.

Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week, and you can now listen to it on our podcast, Managed Care Cast.

A study found potential age bias in heart care for patients on different sides of their 80th birthday; 2 passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship die of coronavirus; California Governor Gavin Newsom outlined several mental health proposals to address homelessness in the state.

The 6 finalists will pitch their innovations at Google’s campus February 27 for a chance to win up to $50,000 in in-kind services from Boston Scientific and Google.

The 2007 paper examined the elevated risks for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes for patients who have schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

Cancer drug trials often do not report on cardiovascular outcomes; CVS is investing in affordable housing to reduce overall healthcare costs; a drug for obsessive compulsive disorder that was developed through artificial intelligence will soon be tested in humans.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement for inoperable severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis will create significant social value in the next decade, mostly accruing to patients versus manufacturers.

Novo Nordisk announced Thursday the FDA has approved injectable semaglutide (Ozempic) for adult patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and known heart disease.

In patients with heart failure, both with and without diabetes, dapagliflozin was shown to provide identical efficacy and possibly beneficial effects on the heart, said John McMurray, MD, FRCP, FESC, professor of medical cardiology in the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences at the University of Glasgow.

A study investigating the cardiovascular responses to nitroglycerin in migraine found that migraineurs who developed a migraine-like attack in response to nitroglycerin demonstrated greater systemic cardiovascular responses compared with non-headache controls.

Regulators and lawmakers have expressed concern over possible privacy breaches as Google and Ascension collect healthcare data; Amarin’s Vascepa goes before an FDA committee this week; CMS Administrator Seema Verma defends Medicaid work requirements.

HHS takes action against Gilead; a report on fears of seasonal workers in Montana; the latest CDC data on preventable deaths show differences between urban and rural areas.

Because exercise capacity is known to be linked with several key outcome measures in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), routine exercise testing can help clinicians prescribe individualized exercise interventions, said Danielle Kirkman, PhD, assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Cleveland Clinic announced the top 10 medical innovations for 2020, which details the medical advancements that have the potential power in transforming healthcare in the next year, at a multimedia presentation during the 2019 Medical Innovation Summit.

A recent study investigating the cardiovascular contribution to COPD symptoms and their relationship to a patient's diagnostic status found that patients with suspicious echocardiographic findings were undiagnosed and untreated.

Predetermined topics to be discussed by the 2020 dietary guidelines committee failed to mention risks correlated to red meat, processed foods, and appropriate sodium intake, which contribute to the impending epidemic of lifestyle diseases.

Less than 6 hours of sleep, as well as durations of longer than 9 hours, are associated with a greater risk of heart attack, according to a new study.

Young men with a lower level of cardiovascular fitness had a higher risk of developing migraines, according to a recent national, population-based cohort study from Sweden.

Studies on PCSK9 inhibitors, evolocumab and alirocumab, promote new guidelines for dyslipidemia management through lipid modification to reduce cardiovascular risk.

Dapagliflozin, sold by AstraZeneca as Farxiga, cut the risk of cardiovascular (CV) death and worsening of heart failure (HF) by 26% among patients with reduced ejection fraction alongside standard of care, according to results of a landmark phase 3 study presented Sunday at the European Society of Cardiology 2019 Congress. Results confirmed that the sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, already approved to treat type 2 diabetes (T2D), is just as effective in preventing CV death and HF events in patients who do not have T2D.

Data in the real-world study included a large share of patients over the age of 80, who are representative of those doctors see in clinical practice.