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  • Cardiac MRI Predicts Outcomes in Aortic Regurgitation

    Cardiac MRI could be used to make management decisions when treating patients living with chronic, asymptomatic aortic regurgitation with preserved left ventricular function, especially when trying to predict severity and possibility of adverse outcomes.

  • Age and Sexual Dimorphism in Aortic Regurgitation

    Among patients with chronic, significant aortic regurgitation, women and older men without symptoms indicating the need for aortic valve replacement maintained smaller left ventricular volumes than young men and developed adverse clinical events at lower left ventricular volumes.

  • Stroke and a Wide QRS

    The ECG in the figure is from an older man who presented with an acute stroke. He denied chest pain. Why is there QRS widening? What might be the clinical implications?

  • Unexpected Low Voltage on an ECG

    A registry study of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients and elite athletes in Italy revealed low voltage on ECG is not uncommon in HCM and may be a marker for more left ventricular scarring on cardiac imaging — and a poor prognosis.

  • Does One Negative Troponin Measurement Rule Out Acute Coronary Syndrome?

    Using a common clinical chest pain algorithm plus a point-of-care troponin measurement for low-risk patients, researchers reported significantly lower healthcare costs. Also, this approach did not seem to result in more major adverse cardiovascular events.

  • An Oral PCSK9 Inhibitor — Coming Soon?

    A Phase IIb study of four doses of MK-0616, an orally administered PCSK9 inhibitor, compared to placebo showed significant reductions in LDL cholesterol levels without any differences in adverse effects over eight weeks.

  • Cardiovascular Outcomes with Bempedoic Acid, a New Statin Alternative

    A trial of bempedoic acid vs. placebo for statin-intolerant patients showed bempedoic acid significantly lowered LDL cholesterol levels and prevented more major adverse cardiovascular events after a median follow-up of 41 months. Although nonserious side effects were numerically higher for those on bempedoic acid, serious adverse events were not significantly different from placebo.

  • The Best Use of Statins in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

    A randomized, multicenter study of high-intensity statin therapy to a treat-to-target approach in coronary artery disease patients showed no difference in three-year outcomes. These results suggest treating to a target may be more suitable to individual patients compared to blanket high-intensity statin use.

  • Improving Statin Tolerance in Elderly Patients

    In a post-hoc analysis of the RACING trial, researchers found the combination of moderate-intensity statin and ezetimibe therapy vs. high-intensity statin therapy alone in older subjects resulted in similar reductions in cardiovascular events over three years, but fewer adverse effects with the combination therapy.

  • Clip Found to Be Safe and Effective for Alleviating Tricuspid Regurgitation

    In this randomized trial of tricuspid transcatheter edge-to-edge repair, the intervention was found to be safe and effective at alleviating tricuspid regurgitation. Quality of life scores improved with intervention compared with medical therapy, although death and heart failure hospitalization rates were not significantly different.