8 Key Facts About Statins and Cholesterol

Statins can help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart attacks, stroke and other heart and vascular problems. But they aren’t right for all patients, and they can rarely cause side effects. Cardiologist Melissa Tracy answers patients’ most frequently asked questions about statins.

Intravascular Imaging Significantly Improves Survival, Safety, and Outcomes in Cardiovascular Stenting Procedures Over Conventional Angiography

Results from this large-scale synthesis of all prior clinical trials could increase usage of several types of high-resolution imaging for guiding interventional coronary procedures

Cardiac Arrest: Hispanics, Latinos With Kidney Disease at High Risk

Hispanics and Latinos with chronic kidney disease are at significant risk for suffering from sudden cardiac arrest, according to a new study from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai.

New Study Confirms HeartFlow FFRCT Leads to Improved Patient Outcomes

A diagnostic test, first offered in the United States at University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, has now shown through a clinical study to significantly decrease cardiovascular mortality, reduce additional non-invasive heart testing, and increase cath lab efficiency.

Researchers uncover how a genetic mutation can cause individuals with normal cholesterol levels to develop coronary artery disease at a young age

A novel molecular pathway to explain how a mutation in the gene ACTA2 can cause individuals in their 30s – with normal cholesterol levels and no other risk factors — to develop coronary artery disease has been identified, according to researchers with UTHealth Houston.

Coronary Bioresorbable Scaffolds Nearly as Safe and Effective as Conventional Metal Stents for Heart Disease Patients

First-generation bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS) may be just as effective as drug-eluting metallic stents, which are currently the standard treatment for heart disease patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Hackensack Meridian Mountainside Medical Center Receives the HeartFlow® CT Quality Award for Commitment to Patients’ Heart Health

Mountainside received the HeartFlow® CT Quality Award. Honorees are in the top 22% of medical centers providing patients with better pathways for identifying and understanding heart health using CT scans and HeartFlow® Analysis, a groundbreaking technology for diagnosing coronary artery disease.

Symptoms, quality of life important to guide treatment for peripheral artery disease (PAD)

For the approximately 8.5 million people in the U.S. living with peripheral artery disease (PAD – pronounced P-A-D), which is narrowed or clogged arteries in the legs, treatment decisions and criteria for success should be led by their symptoms and self-reported quality of life, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published today in the Association’s flagship, peer-reviewed journal Circulation.

Revealing the individual immune cells inside the plaque that causes life-threatening heart attacks

Through single-cell RNA sequencing, a research group has successfully illuminated the characteristics of Myeloid immune cells in coronary plaque, which causes acute coronary syndrome (this term includes conditions such as unstable angina and acute myocardial infarction (heart attack)). Based on this data, they hope to develop a treatment method that can stabilize coronary plaque.

Researchers ID Post-exercise Changes in MicroRNA as Potential Markers for Coronary Artery Disease

Article title: Associations between circulating microRNAs and coronary plaque characteristics: potential impact from physical exercise Authors: Maria Dalen Taraldsen, Rune Wiseth, Vibeke Videm, Anja Bye, Erik Madssen From the authors: “This exploratory study demonstrated six miRs associated with coronary necrotic…

New Treatment Approach for Advanced Coronary Artery Disease Leads to Improved Outcomes

Study outlines better way to identify where stents are necessary

Scientists find genetic link to clogged arteries

High cholesterol is the most commonly understood cause of atherosclerosis, a hardening of the arteries that raises the risk of heart attack and stroke. But now, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a gene that likely plays a causal role in coronary artery disease independent of cholesterol levels. The gene also likely has roles in related cardiovascular diseases, including high blood pressure and diabetes.

Genetic testing proves beneficial in prescribing effective blood thinners

A new research paper funded in part by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) shows a clear advantage of genetic testing in helping health care providers choose the appropriate anti-platelet drug. Testing helps determine if a patient carries genetic variants in CYP2C19 that cause loss of its function. These variants interfere with the body’s ability to metabolize and activate clopidogrel, an anti-platelet medication.

TCT Connect Agenda Now Available

The TCT Connect agenda is now available online. TCT, the annual scientific symposium of CRF and the world’s premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine, will take place online October 14-18. Every year, TCT features major medical research breakthroughs and gathers leading researchers and clinicians from around the globe to present and discuss the latest evidence-based research in the field.

Announcing the TCT Connect Late-Breaking Trials and Science

The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) has announced over 30 late-breaking trial and science presentations that will be reported at TCT Connect. TCT, the annual scientific symposium of CRF and the world’s premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine, will take place online October 14-18.

TCT 2020 Is Now a Virtual Event: TCT Connect

The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) has announced that Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) 2020 will now take place as a virtual event called TCT Connect. The event will take place online October 14-18, 2020 and feature live case-based transmissions from around the globe, late-breaking clinical trials and science, virtual training, and countless opportunities to learn and engage with the brightest minds in interventional cardiovascular medicine.

New Research Supports Initial Conservative Management of Stable Coronary Artery Disease

New study results confirm that guideline-directed medical therapy is as effective as more invasive procedures at preventing death, stroke, and heart attack in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD).

The study results suggest that guideline-directed medical therapy should be the initial treatment strategy for patients with stable CAD.

The study results validate the evidence-based, guideline-directed, conservative treatment approach that the cardiovascular specialists at Nuvance Health have always used to treat CAD.