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…
Is There a Relationship between ARBs, ACE 2 Inhibitors and COVID-19?
In the past few days, many doctors appear to have caught wind of somewhat unfounded data. According to this information, the novel COVID-19 would use angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors to enter cells and, in this context, patients with an upregulated expression of these receptors (such as patients receiving angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors…
Cath Lab Management Protocol for the COVID-19 Outbreak
The Interventional Cardiology Association and the Cardiac Beat Association from the Spanish Society of Cardiology have released a document stating all the available information on the COVID-19 outbreak for interventionists to tackle this health crisis to the best of their ability. ” Abstract “During March 2020, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread throughout Europe, with special…
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…
ACC Recommendations against the New Coronavirus
The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has launched a document summarizing the potential implications of the new coronavirus identified in Wuhan, China. This new virus has been called COVID-19 by the WHO. According to the WHO reports, there are around 93000 confirmed cases across the world, and around 12600 are outside China. In Latin America,…
Alternatives for Patients Allergic to Aspirin
Intolerance to aspirin is relatively frequent and there is no other non-steroid anti-inflammatory medication to replace it. The new guidelines of chronic coronary syndromes make class IIb recommendations to use prasugrel or ticagrelor in aspirin-intolerant patients. This is not meant to replace dual antiaggregation therapy in aspirin intolerant patients, when needed; it is just a…
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,…