Clinical Cardiology
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Telemedicine Improves Outcomes in Heart Failure
In patients with chronic heart failure, adding a remote patient management program to usual care was associated with improvement in unplanned cardiovascular hospitalization or death.
Total Arterial Revascularization: Where Is It?
The results of a long-term follow-up study of matched pairs of patients undergoing surgical coronary artery revascularization showed that total arterial graft usage significantly reduced all-cause mortality vs. left internal mammary artery plus saphenous vein grafts.
VEST: A Positively Negative Clinical Trial
In a randomized trial of the wearable cardioverter-defibrillator prescribed to patients with left ventricular dysfunction after acute myocardial infarction, overall compliance rates were low. The authors observed no significant improvement in arrhythmic death rates; yet, overall mortality was lower.
LDL Cholesterol: How Low Do We Go?
A meta-analysis of 29 cholesterol-lowering outcome studies with baseline average low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels ≤ 70 mg/dL showed consistent major adverse cardiovascular event risk reductions down to average LDL levels of 21 mg/dL without any increase in adverse events.
MitraClip Scores Big Win in COAPT
The largest trial to date of MitraClip in highly selected patients with congestive heart failure and functional mitral regurgitation revealed significant reductions in heart failure hospitalization and two-year mortality.
MRI for Patients With Pacemakers and Defibrillators
Performing an MRI on patients with pacemakers and defibrillators that were not MRI-conditional was not associated with any clinically significant changes in device parameters.
Clinical Context and Outcomes in Stress Cardiomyopathy
An analysis of the International Takotsubo Registry showed that long-term mortality is similar to that observed in patients with acute coronary syndromes but varies widely depending on the triggering event.
Tafamidis Improves Survival in Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis
Treatment with tafamidis in transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy patients produced reductions in all-cause mortality and cardiovascular hospitalizations. This was the first medical therapy to demonstrate improved survival for patients with this condition.
MitraClip Falls Short in First Randomized Trial Specific to Functional Mitral Regurgitation
The authors of a recent study concluded that percutaneous mitral valve repair with MitraClip did not significantly alter rates of death and heart failure hospitalization at one year over medical therapy alone.
Who Really Needs Intensive Blood Pressure Control?
A patient baseline characteristics level analysis of the SPRINT and ACCORD trials resulted in the creation of a simple algorithm for identifying high-risk patients who experienced fewer major cardiac events without increased serious adverse events from intensive blood pressure therapy.