The American College of Cardiology’s 64th Annual Scientific Session & Expo
The annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology was held from March 14 to 16 in San Diego and attracted more than 20,000 participants from around the world, including clinicians, academicians, allied health professionals, and others interested in cardiology. The conference highlighted recent advances in the treatment, management, and prevention of cardiovascular diseases, with presentations also focusing on novel drugs and surgical approaches to improve the quality of care for patients with cardiovascular diseases.
In one study, Mariam Kashani, D.N.P., of the Integrative Cardiac Health Project at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and colleagues evaluated an integrative, four-pillar approach to prediabetes management, evaluating the efficacy of a combination of diet, exercise, and stress and sleep management on prediabetes.
The investigators evaluated 508 patients in the Integrative Cardiac Health Project Registry, of whom 107 (21 percent) had prediabetes. Of these 107 patients, 52 patients (49 percent), using this four-pillar approach, reverted back to normal glucose levels.
“While weight loss commonly accompanies this reversion, in these cases, body mass index was not significantly different from baseline. However, we did find lower triglyceride levels among those patients who reverted back to normal glucose levels,” Kashani said. “Triglyceride levels are not only a measure of heart health but are also an indicator of compliance to behavioral change. It is likely that the patients who reverted were more compliant to the approach, which is why they reverted back to normal glucose levels.”
In another study that was halted in August 2014, Roxana Mehran, M.D., of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, and colleagues found that REG1, a novel anticoagulant, was just as effective in terms of a composite end point of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or urgent revascularization as the commonly used anticoagulant bivalirudin. However, REG1 was associated with a statistically significant higher rate of severe or fatal bleeding. In addition, serious allergic reactions were seen in 10 out of 1,605 patients receiving REG1, including one fatal reaction. The high rate of adverse reactions led to the trial being stopped.
“This anticoagulant system is associated with infrequent but an unacceptably high rate of severe allergic reactions,” Mehran in a statement.
The study was funded by Regado Biosciences, the maker of the REG1 system; one author disclosed serving on the company’s scientific advisory board.
Jacquelyn Kulinski, M.D., of the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, and colleagues found that excessive sitting was associated with an increased risk of coronary artery calcification, increasing the risk of myocardial infarction.
The investigators evaluated cardiac scans and physical activity records for more than 2,000 individuals and found that each hour of sedentary time per day on average was associated with a 14 percent increase in coronary artery calcification.
“It’s clear that exercise is important to reduce your cardiovascular risk and improve your fitness level,” Kulinski said in a statement. “But this study suggests that reducing how much you sit every day may represent a more novel, companion strategy (in addition to exercise) to help reduce your cardiovascular risk.”
ACC: CV Events Up for PCI With Everolimus-Eluting Stents
TUESDAY, March 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients with multivessel coronary artery disease, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with everolimus-eluting stents is linked to increased cardiovascular events versus coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), while the risk of death is similar for PCI with everolimus-eluting stents and CABG. These findings were published online March 16 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, held from March 14 to 16 in San Diego.
ACC: Sustained Weight Loss Cuts A-Fib Burden
TUESDAY, March 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For obese patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), long-term sustained weight loss is associated with significant reduction in AF burden, according to a study published online March 16 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The research was published to coincide with its presentation at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, held from March 14 to 16 in San Diego.
ACC: Catheter Ablation Tops Amiodarone for Persistent A-Fib
TUESDAY, March 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure, catheter ablation (CA) is superior to amiodarone (AMIO) for achieving freedom from AF, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, held from March 14 to 16 in San Diego.
ACC: Enalapril + Folic Acid Cuts Stroke Risk in Hypertension
MONDAY, March 16, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients with hypertension, the combined use of enalapril and folic acid is associated with reduced risk of first stroke, according to a study published online March 15 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The research was published to coincide with its presentation at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, held from March 14 to 16 in San Diego.
ACC: PCSK9 Inhibitors Reduce LDL Cholesterol in Long Term
MONDAY, March 16, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Evolocumab and alirocumab, monoclonal antibodies that inhibit proprotein convertase subtilisin-kexin type 9 (PCSK9), reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in the longer term, according to two studies published online March 15 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The research was published to coincide with the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, held from March 14 to 16 in San Diego.
ACC: CTCA Alters Diagnosis, Management in Suspected Angina
MONDAY, March 16, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients with suspected angina due to coronary heart disease, computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) is associated with changes in diagnosis and management, according to a study published online March 15 in The Lancet. The research was published to coincide with its presentation at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, held from March 14 to 16 in San Diego.
ACC: Antidepressants May Help Reduce Cardiovascular Risk
FRIDAY, March 6, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A new study finds that treating moderate to severe depression with antidepressants may have an added bonus: reducing cardiovascular risks. The findings are scheduled to be presented March 15 at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), held from March 14 to 16 in San Diego.
ACC: Over Decade More of Heart Health by Avoiding Risk Factors
THURSDAY, March 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Being free of heart disease risk factors in middle age greatly extends the number of years a person lives without heart failure, according to research to be presented March 14 at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), held from March 14 to 16 in San Diego.
ACC: Mortality Risk Up With Digoxin Use in A-Fib
THURSDAY, March 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Patients with atrial fibrillation who take digoxin may face a nearly 30 percent greater risk of death than patients not taking the drug, a review of prior research suggests. The findings are to be presented March 15 at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, held from March 14 to 16 in San Diego.
ACC: Mediterranean Diet Cuts Heart Disease Risk by About Half
THURSDAY, March 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Closely following the Mediterranean diet can significantly lower risk of heart disease, another study suggests. The findings are to be presented March 15 at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), held from March 14 to 16 in San Diego.
ACC: High-Dose Omega-3 Protects Heart Following MI
THURSDAY, March 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — High doses of omega-3 fatty acids may protect against further damage in myocardial infarction patients, a preliminary study suggests. The study is to be presented March 16 at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), held from March 14 to 16 in San Diego.
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