Several studies have associated skipping breakfast (having little to no breakfast) with increased cardiometabolic risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. This study examined all the available evidence on the association of skipping breakfast and cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. It included 4 studies with close to 200,000 adults (mean age ≥40,...
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Be part of SOLACI! Become part of a medical community composed by over 2500 specialists in interventional cardiology (and other specialties) from Latin America. Joining is free! Everyone can join SOLACI, regardless of their profession. According to your specialty, you will become a Full Member (if you are an interventional cardiologist) or an Associate Member...
Ticagrelor Monotherapy One Month After DES Implantation
The GLOBAL LEADERS study includes a pre-specified sub-study, GLASSY, that showed that ticagrelor monotherapy after one month of dual antiplatelet therapy is non-inferior (but not superior) to conventional treatment in terms of ischemic events. As regards safety, ticagrelor monotherapy did not decrease major bleeding compared with conventional therapy. The GLOBAL LEADERS randomized 15,991 patients who required...
Impella: A Revolutionary Device Being Questioned
Observational studies (with their subsequent limitations) show a possible increase in adverse events and costs with the use of the Impella device. Two large observational studies stirred doubts regarding the good performance of new circulatory support devices in real-world daily clinical practice. There were more adverse events, including in-hospital death and major bleeding, and more...
We Should Indicate More than 6 Months of DAPT in Lower Limb Disease
Courtesy of Dr. Carlos Fava. Advanced peripheral vascular disease is frequently associated with cardiovascular events and amputation. It has been proven that mono-antiplatelet therapy (MAPT) offers some benefit (with either aspirin or clopidogrel), but there are scarce data on the role of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) in these patients. Researchers analyzed 404 patients who received MAPT for...
Secondary Prevention: A Responsibility We Should Not Delegate
After coronary angioplasty, the use of drugs whose efficacy for the reduction of major events has been proven declines over time, which is associated with worse patient prognosis. Sometimes, without meaning to, we convey to patients the idea that, once the stent has been implanted, the artery is “cured” or that the only potential future...
Percutaneous Annuloplasty in Functional Mitral Regurgitation vs. Sham Procedure
In cases where it is difficult to demonstrate the improvement of a drug or a device in hard endpoints such as mortality, we should look for softer and easier to prove endpoints. The problem is that these soft endpoints are often subjective (such as sensation of shortness of breath or angina pectoris) and they could...
Net Benefit of Left Atrial Appendage Closure vs. Anticoagulation in Atrial Fibrillation
This analysis shows that the long-term clinical benefit of left atrial appendage closure with Watchman is superior to warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The initial peri-procedural risks of device implantation are counterbalanced over time, with reduced risk of bleeding and death. The PROTECT-AF (Watchman Left Atrial Appendage Closure Technology for Embolic Protection in...
The Most Read Articles of November at Solaci.org
1- AHA 2019 | ISCHEMIA: The Invasive Approach (PCI or Surgery) Results Similar to Optimal Medical Treatment After a several year follow up, the International Study of Comparative Health Effectiveness with Medical and Invasive Approaches (ISCHEMIA) has shown that an invasive approach in addition to optimal medical treatment (OMT) does not offer benefits when it...
AHA 2019 | Sapien vs Evolut: A Head-to-Head Study Seems Mandatory
Two French registries have carried out a propensity matched comparison which suggest differences between balloon-expandable valves (BEV) and self-expandable valves (SEV) in hard end points such as mortality. The only FDA approved commercially available transcatheter heart valves in the US are the BE Sapien 3 (Edwards Lifesciences) and the SE CoreValve Evolut PRO (Medtronic). Both...