Clinical Cardiology Alert – January 1, 2019
January 1, 2019
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PCSK9 Inhibitors in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients
Compared to adding placebo, using the proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitor alirocumab in post-acute coronary syndrome patients on maximally tolerated, high-intensity statins with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels higher than 70 mg/dL lowered LDL and reduced the number of major adverse cardiac events.
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Testing Safety, Efficacy of Pharmacotherapy in Hospitalized Heart Failure Patients
In patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, administering sacubitril-valsartan led to more improvement in levels of cardiac biomarkers compared to enalapril, with no adverse safety signals.
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Cardiac MRI for Prognosis in Aortic Stenosis
The authors of a consortium observational study of patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing valve replacement found that a pre-procedure cardiac MRI that detects myocardial fibrosis is predictive of post-procedure mortality and may be useful for making decisions about valve replacement in asymptomatic patients.
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Chronic Kidney Disease Discourages Appropriate Use of Angiography and PCI in NSTEMI
This retrospective study of patients presenting with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction showed higher mortality among patients with chronic kidney disease and lower use of coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention.
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Noninvasive Mapping and Ablation of Ventricular Tachycardia: Evidence Builds for Novel Approach
In 19 patients with treatment-refractory episodes of ventricular tachycardia or frequent premature ventricular contractions, stereotactic body radiation therapy was highly effective at reducing arrhythmia burden without acute toxicity.