'Why we do What we do in Cardiology'

Key Points: Positive Aspects of DOACs: DOACs are acknowledged for their convenience, efficacy, and safety in conditions like atrial fibrillation (AF) and venous thromboembolism (VTE). The review supports their use in stroke prevention, AF, recent acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), valve disease (with exceptions), VTE management, cancer-asso

Background: Traditional practice requires fasting before cardiac catheterization, but there's no evidence to support it. Objective: This study compared a heart-healthy pre-procedure diet with fasting to determine best practices. Methods: 197 patients were randomly assigned to either a heart-healthy diet or fasting before their cardiac catheterization. Results: Satisfaction: Pat

Key Points In patients not taking antianginal meds, PCI alleviated some—but not all—symptoms Background: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is commonly used to alleviate stable angina symptoms. Uncertainty exists regarding whether PCI is more effective than a placebo procedure in patients not using antianginal medication. Methods: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-c

Study: STRONG-HF trial examined rapid up-titration of heart failure medications (GDMT) after hospitalization. Goal: Reach optimal GDMT doses within 2 weeks after discharge. Findings: Over 90% of patients achieved medium-to-high GDMT doses within 2 weeks. Patients with lower blood pressure, more congestion, and higher risk markers received less up-titration. Higher GDMT doses: Assoc

Key Points from "Treat to Target or With Intensity? Both Statin Tactics Cut MACE: LODESTAR": The study compares two strategies for managing LDL cholesterol in coronary artery disease (CAD): Treat-to-target: aiming for LDL levels between 50-70 mg/dL. High-intensity statin: prescribing the highest tolerated statin dose regardless of LDL level. Both strategies are equally ef

Key Points of the Study: T-TEER with the TriClip device significantly improved health status in patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) compared to medical therapy alone. This improvement was seen in both the short-term (1 month) and long-term (1 year) after the procedure. T-TEER patients were more likely to be alive and well (defined as good KCCQ score and no decline) at

Key Points from PROMISE 2 Trial: • Problem: 20% of CLTI patients have no revascularization options, leading to amputations. • Solution: Transcatheter arterialization of deep veins creates an artery-to-vein connection, delivering oxygenated blood to the ischemic foot and potentially preventing amputation. • Study: Analyzed 105 patients with no other treatment options who under

Key Points from this trial: The CLASP IID trial, the first randomized controlled trial comparing the PASCAL system and the MitraClip system in prohibitive-risk patients with significant symptomatic degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR), aimed to report primary and secondary endpoints along with 1-year outcomes for the full cohort. In the study, 300 patients were randomized (PAS

Key points of the DANPACE II study on atrial pacing and atrial fibrillation in sinus node dysfunction: 1. Minimizing atrial pacing in pacemakers doesn't prevent atrial fibrillation (AF): • 46% of patients regardless of pacing rate (40bpm or 60bpm) experienced an AF episode lasting over 6 minutes during 2 years. • No difference in AF rates across age, heart rhythm patterns,

Major Trends: Independent Medical Board: Cardiologists seek a new board separate from the ABIM due to concerns with MOC requirements. Scope of Practice Debates: Tensions arise over advanced nurse practitioners performing complex procedures like TAVI. Work-Life Balance in Meetings: Live meetings return, but concerns grow about FOMO and digital fatigue. AI in Cardiology: ChatGPT and