High olive oil intake was associated with lower risk of coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease in two large prospective cohorts of men and women. The substitution of margarine, butter, mayonnaise, and dairy fat with olive oil can have a significant impact on cardiovascular health. The benefits of olive oil intake have been well studied…
SPARCL: Highly Effective Prevention of New Events with Atorvastatin after a Stroke
In patients with recent stroke or transient ischemic attack, the total number of vascular events prevented by atorvastatin was twice as high as the number of prevented index events. In other words, the power of atorvastatin in secondary prevention is far superior to primary prevention. This gigantic reduction, both in index and recurrent events, gives…
A New Molecule to Prevent Contrast-Induced Kidney Injury
Administrating Recombinant Human C1-Esterase-Inhibitor (rhC1INH) before coronary angiography might mitigate contrast induced kidney injury. In addition, it shows a favorable safety profile in populations with multiple comorbidities. The contrast material used in all our diagnostic tests and therapeutic procedures causes tubular cytotoxicity and ischemia/reperfusion injury. rhC1INH had been effective at mitigating this mechanism in experimental…
Virtual ACC 2020 | Vericiguat: New Hope in Chronic Cardiac Failure
Treatment with the new drug called Vericiguat (acting on guanosine monophosphate receptors GMP) might reduce cardiovascular mortality or hospitalizations due to heart failure in a high-risk population with reduced ejection fraction. The VICTORIA trial (Vericiguat Global Study in Subjects with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction) was presented virtually at the ACC 2020 scientific sessions…
Virtual ACC 2020 | More Evidence in Support of the Demanding 2017 Hypertension Guidelines
It’s been a while since the demanding and tough 2017 document written jointly between ACC and AHA where, with much controversy, cutoff hypertension values were taken to extreme limits. In fact, more flexible ESC guidelines came out a few months later. Despite this document, hypertension-related cardiovascular death kept increasing in the US across all age…
Virtual ACC 2020 | Statins Could Also Protect Against Chemotherapy Cardiotoxicity
This retrospective study has shown a reduction in hospitalization for cardiac failure in patients who were already using statins receiving anthracycline and trastuzumab in the context of breast cancer. The study was to be presented during the ACC 2020 scientific sessions together with the World Congress of Cardiology. However, it had to be called off…
Coronavirus and the Heart: How Should Cardiologists Prepare?
As the number of confirmed cases increases throughout the globe, a picture is emerging as to what the direct cardiovascular effects of this pandemic may be. World-renowned physicians such as Alaide Chieffo (from the San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy) have declared that coronavirus came completely unexpected and has put healthcare systems on the verge of…
Another Scandal in Evidence-Based Medicine: Ambulatory BP Monitoring Questioned?
Apparently, the scandal surrounding the EXCEL trial kicked the hornet’s nest as far as evidence-based medicine is concerned. This time, the stars were the actual authors of an article published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM): the investigators retracted their paper due to issues in data analysis. The aforementioned work was originally…
Is There a “Safe” Dose for Meat Consumption?
Meat consumption is associated with a small but significant increase in cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. The dose-response relationship was clear, and no meat “dose” was safe. Eating red meat, both processed (sausages, cold cuts) and unprocessed, is associated with a small increase in mortality according to this analysis that will be published in JAMA…
Alcohol and Atrial Fibrillation: More Reasons for Moderate Consumption
Reducing alcohol consumption should be included in the “package” of secondary prevention recommendations, not only for its impact on arteries, but also because it reduces atrial fibrillation (AF). Alcohol abstinence might improve arrhythmia symptoms and reduce the chances of recurrence in patients who have already had an episode of AF. Regular alcohol consumers who were…
New European Guidelines for Dyslipidemia Management: What is New?
Reading clinical practice guidelines, except for specific consultation, is usually tedious. These guidelines are nor meant to be read as a textbook, or at least this is what most readers believe. But it looks like this reader’s perception has finally been acknowledged, hence “table 3” in the new European dyslipidemia guidelines, where the new recommendations,…