American College of Cardiology, April 2-4

The annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology was held from April 2 to 4 in Washington, D.C., and attracted more than 12,000 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 focusing on novel drugs and surgical approaches to improve the quality of care for patients with cardiovascular diseases.

In one study, Frank H. Annie, Ph.D., of the Charleston Area Medical Center in West Virginia, and colleagues found that patients who experience depression following a myocardial infarction have an increased risk for stroke.

Using the Trinetx Research Network database, the researchers identified adult patients aged 18 to 90 years with a myocardial infarction from Jan. 1, 2015, to Jan. 11, 2021. Patients were divided into two cohorts: those who had a diagnosis of depression after a myocardial infarction and those who did not. All-cause stroke-related events between propensity score-matched pairs of patients in the two groups were compared, and log-rank testing was used for confirmation. The researchers found that stroke occurred more often among patients with a diagnosis of depression after myocardial infarction.

"The results of this study are troubling and require that we prioritize mental health screenings after a major cardiovascular event," Annie said. "We need a multidisciplinary approach, as it will take multiple departments working together in order to solve this issue."

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In another study, Nanda Siva, a third-year medical student at the West Virginia University School of Medicine in Morgantown, and colleagues found that a substantial amount of hypertension-related information on TikTok is not presented by qualified health care professionals, and the material presented is often without scientific references.

The authors extracted the top 100 videos from the two most popular hypertension-based hashtags on TikTok: #hypertension and #highbloodpressure. Descriptive video information was obtained, and content analysis was performed. The researchers found that the majority of hypertension-related information on TikTok was not presented by health care professionals. Only 22 percent of the information was presented by physicians, and even less, 5 percent, was presented specifically by cardiologists. Diet (43 percent) and alternative medicine (42 percent) were the most prevalent topics discussed in the videos, and both were often recommended without proper scientific evidence. Medical treatment (14 percent) and exercise (5 percent), both of which contribute to lowering blood pressure, were not discussed as frequently.

"Physicians should take an active role in the dissemination of evidence-based health care information on social media platforms used by patients and their family/friends," Siva said.

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Abel E. Moreyra, M.D., of the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and colleagues found that living in a noisy environment increases the risk for heart attacks compared with living in quieter areas.

The authors gathered pertinent information from the Market Information Data Analytics System database, a New Jersey statewide repository for all cardiovascular hospitalizations, and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Geospatial coding was used to convert residences to latitude and longitude coordinates, and from there, associated noise levels were calculated. The researchers found that exposure to high noise accounted for about one in 20 heart attacks in New Jersey.

"High noise levels are associated with increased hospitalization rates for heart attacks," Moreyra said. "The findings underscore the importance of noise regulations and enforcement by the transportation authorities."

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ACC: Empagliflozin Offers Clinical Benefit in Heart Failure

WEDNESDAY, April 13, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- For patients hospitalized for acute heart failure, treatment with the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor empagliflozin produces clinical benefit, according to a study published online April 4 in Circulation to coincide with the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, held from April 2 to 4 in Washington, D.C.

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ACC: Mavacamten Cuts Need for Surgery in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

MONDAY, April 11, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, mavacamten improves symptoms and reduces the need for septal reduction therapy, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, held from April 2 to 4 in Washington, D.C.

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ACC: Infected CV Implantable Electronic Devices Often Not Removed

MONDAY, April 11, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with cardiovascular implantable electronic device infections, only about 20 percent undergo hardware removal as recommended by treatment guidelines, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, held from April 2 to 4 in Washington, D.C.

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ACC: Lasting Reduction in BP Seen With Radiofrequency Renal Denervation

FRIDAY, April 8, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Radiofrequency renal denervation yields clinically meaningful and lasting blood pressure reductions up to 36 months, according to a study published online April 4 in The Lancet to coincide with the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, held from April 2 to 4 in Washington, D.C.

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ACC: Low-Sodium Intervention Has Little Benefit in Heart Failure

THURSDAY, April 7, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- A dietary intervention to reduce sodium intake is feasible for patients with chronic heart failure but does not improve clinical outcomes, according to a study published online April 2 in The Lancet to coincide with the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, held from April 2 to 4 in Washington, D.C.

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ACC: Bleeding Risk Lower With Tranexamic Acid in Noncardiac Surgery

THURSDAY, April 7, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- For patients undergoing noncardiac surgery, the incidence of a composite bleeding outcome is significantly lower with tranexamic acid, while tranexamic acid is not noninferior for the composite cardiovascular outcome, according to a study published online April 2 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, held from April 2 to 4 in Washington, D.C.

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ACC: Childhood Risk Factors Linked to Cardiovascular Events in Midlife

TUESDAY, April 5, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Childhood risk factors are associated with cardiovascular events in midlife, according to a study published online April 4 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, held from April 2 to 4 in Washington, D.C.

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ACC: Treatment Beneficial for Mild Chronic HTN in Pregnancy

TUESDAY, April 5, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- For pregnant women with mild chronic hypertension, treatment with antihypertensive medications recommended for use in pregnancy is associated with improved pregnancy outcomes, according to a study published online April 2 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, held from April 2 to 4 in Washington, D.C.

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ACC: Use of Salt Substitute to Prevent Stroke Is Cost-Saving

MONDAY, March 28, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Among individuals with prior stroke or uncontrolled high blood pressure, replacing regular salt with salt substitute is a cost-saving intervention for reducing the risk for stroke, according to a study published online March 21 in Circulation, ahead of presentation at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, held from April 2 to 4 in Washington, D.C.

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ACC: Pericardial Effusion Prevalent in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients

FRIDAY, March 25, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Pericardial effusion is prevalent among hospitalized patients with COVID-19, but is rarely due to pericarditis, according to a study published online March 21 in the Journal of the American Heart Association, ahead of presentation at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, held from April 2 to 4 in Washington, D.C.

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