The American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2016
The annual meeting of the American Heart Association was held from Nov. 12 to 16 in New Orleans and attracted more than 19,000 participants from around the world, including cardiovascular specialists, surgeons, nurses, and other health care professionals. The conference featured presentations focusing on the latest advances in cardiovascular medicine and surgery.
As part of the HOPE-3 study, Jackie Bosch, M.D., of McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, and colleagues randomized 12,705 intermediate-risk participants without clinical vascular disease to take blood pressure-lowering medication (candesartan 16 mg/hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg) or placebo and rosuvastatin or placebo. The authors sought to determine the effect of these treatments on cardiovascular events.
“Risk factors for cognitive decline are similar to those for vascular events, and therefore we also studied whether these treatments would prevent cognitive and functional decline. Participants over the age of 70 were invited to participate, as they are at higher risk for cognitive and functional decline, and 1,626 completed questionnaires at baseline and study end,” Bosch said. “The active and placebo groups did not differ in amount of cognitive decline. There was a trend for an effect of combination therapy in those with the highest systolic blood pressure and highest low-density lipoprotein at baseline, but this was a post hoc analysis and should be viewed cautiously. There was also a statistically significant trend indicating that longer treatment may produce better results.”
The HOPE-3 study was funded in part by AstraZeneca, the manufacturer of rosuvastatin.
As part of the Arterial Revascularization Trial (ART), Marcus Flather, M.D., of the University of East Anglia in Norwich, U.K., and colleagues randomized patients scheduled for coronary artery bypass grafting on clinical criteria to single internal mammary artery (SIMA) or bilateral internal mammary artery (BIMA) in 28 cardiac surgical centers across seven countries.
“The results from one of the largest randomized surgical trials does not provide clear support for routine use of BIMA for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting,” Flather said. “The BIMA approach may be appropriate for select patients and further follow up in the ART will determine if there may be longer-term benefits.”
As part of the PRECISION Trial, Stephen Nissen, M.D., of the Cleveland Clinic, and colleagues evaluated cardiovascular outcomes with celecoxib, ibuprofen, and naproxen in patients with elevated cardiovascular risk.
“This has been a very controversial topic for a long time, as it has been great concern that celecoxib carries increased cardiovascular risk with other drugs in the same class. Therefore, a large safety trial has been completed, which took 10 years and included 24,000 patients,” Nissen said. “We found that celecoxib was non-inferior to both ibuprofen and naproxen and did not carry an increased cardiovascular event risk.”
The study was funded by Pfizer, the manufacturer of celecoxib.
AHA: Many A-Fib Patients Not Receiving Oral Anticoagulants
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Half of patients hospitalized with atrial fibrillation aren’t receiving oral anticoagulants (OACs), according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, held from Nov. 12 to 16 in New Orleans.
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AHA: Interatrial Shunt Effective at One Year in Heart Failure
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Sustained clinical benefit has been observed in patients with heart failure with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction treated with an interatrial septal shunt device that allows shunting to reduce the left atrial pressure, according to a study published online Nov. 16 in Circulation: Heart Failure. The research was published to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, held from Nov. 12 to 16 in New Orleans.
AHA: Knowledge of Stroke Risk Lacking Among A-Fib Patients
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Nearly one-third of Americans newly diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AF) don’t realize the condition puts them at increased risk for stroke, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, held from Nov. 12 to 16 in New Orleans.
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AHA: Small Increase in Cardiac Stress Testing 2005 to 2012
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Among a nationally representative cohort of commercially insured patients there was a small increase in the rate of cardiac stress testing from 2005 to 2012, according to a study published online Nov. 15 in JAMA Cardiology. The research was published to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, held from Nov. 12 to 16 in New Orleans.
AHA: More CPR Simulator Training Needed for ER Nurses
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Regular simulation training improves emergency department nurses’ cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, held from Nov. 12 to 16 in New Orleans.
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AHA: Proton Pump Inhibitors Tied to Ischemic Stroke Risk
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) at higher doses are associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, held from Nov. 12 to 16 in New Orleans.
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AHA: Wide Variation in Prices of Generic Heart Failure Meds
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Cash prices of generic medicines to treat heart failure vary so widely that some patients may not be able to afford to fill all of their prescriptions, according to a research letter published online Nov. 15 in JAMA Internal Medicine. The research was published to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, held from Nov. 12 to 16 in New Orleans.
AHA: Evolocumab Can Help Substantially Reduce LDL
TUESDAY, Nov. 15, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Combining statins with the PCSK9 inhibitor evolocumab can help reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol to previously unseen levels, according to a study published online Nov. 15 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The research was published to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, held from Nov. 12 to 16 in New Orleans.
AHA: Inclisiran Twice Yearly May Effectively Control Cholesterol
TUESDAY, Nov. 15, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A new injectable medication called inclisiran cuts low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by half or more, and the effect could last for four to six months, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, held from Nov. 12 to 16 in New Orleans.
AHA: Hospitalizations Up for Heart Failure in the United States
TUESDAY, Nov. 15, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The number of hospitalizations for heart failure has risen in the United States, according to research published online Nov. 12 in Clinical Cardiology to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, held from Nov. 12 to 16 in New Orleans.
AHA: Ticagrelor Not Shown to Be Superior to Clopidogrel in PAD
TUESDAY, Nov. 15, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Ticagrelor is not superior to clopidogrel for reduction of cardiovascular events in patients with peripheral artery disease, according to a study published online Nov. 13 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, held from Nov. 12 to 16 in New Orleans.
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AHA: Secondhand Tobacco Smoke Ups Atherosclerosis Risk
TUESDAY, Nov. 15, 2016 (HealthDay News) — In asymptomatic never smokers, the extent of secondhand tobacco smoke (SHTS) exposure is associated with the presence and extent of atherosclerosis, according to a study published online Nov. 13 in JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging. The research was published to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, held from Nov. 12 to 16 in New Orleans.
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AHA: Survival Odds Up With Statins Before Cardiac Arrest
MONDAY, Nov. 14, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The odds of surviving cardiac arrest appear higher for patients who’ve been taking statins, according to findings presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, held from Nov. 12 to 16 in New Orleans.
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AHA: Omega-3s May Help Reduce BP in Young, Healthy Adults
MONDAY, Nov. 14, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Eating a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids may help young adults keep their blood pressure at a healthy level, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, held from Nov. 12 to 16 in New Orleans.
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AHA: LVAD Plus Intensive Drug Tx May Aid Heart Failure Patients
MONDAY, Nov. 14, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A combination of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) and intensive drug therapy may help boost heart function in end-stage heart failure patients, according to preliminary results from an ongoing study presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, held from Nov. 12 to 16 in New Orleans.
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