Acute Coronary Syndromes

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is most commonly caused by a heart attack (myocardial infarction) where blood flow to the heart is suddenly blocked. This is usually caused by a blood clot from a ruptured coronary artery atherosclerotic plaque. Other causes include spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), which most commonly occurs in women. ACS is usually treated in a cath lab with angioplasty and the placement of a stent to prop the vessel open.

AI-powered coronary plaque assessments show ‘strong agreement’ with IVUS
HeartFlow's noninvasive Plaque Analysis technology, which uses AI to evaluate CCTA images, delivered assessments that mostly lined up with IVUS results.
World Health Organization urges countries to limit salt intake to reduce risk of CVD, hypertension
The group wants countries to implement population-wide changes that can keep salt intake to a minimum. It estimates that such policies could save up to 900,000 lives in just a few years.
Mammogram findings linked to heightened risk of CVD, type 2 diabetes and hypertension
The new research, presented during ARRS 2024 in Boston, suggests CVD risk models may need to include certain findings identified in routine mammograms.
$Performing CT-derived fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR) before transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) improves the accuracy of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) and helps limit unneeded invasive coronary angiography (ICA), according to a new study published in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions. Heartflow$
AI-based CAD assessments dramatically improve vascular surgery outcomes
PAD patients evaluated with HeartFlow's noninvasive FFR_CTAnalysis technology prior to surgery experienced much better outcomes, including a 63% lower risk of all-cause mortality after five years.
Even lenient plant-based diets can help older adults live longer
Healthy diets that prioritize plant-based foods were associated with reductions in both all-cause mortality or CVD mortality. Diets do not have to be strictly vegan or vegetarian to make that impact, researchers noted.

How CV risk factors influence future CHD, stroke rates in women

Cardiovascular risk factors have similar effects on the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) and ischemic stroke in women, researchers report in the first large-scale study of its kind in female patients.

October 2, 2018

VEST: Wearable cardioverter-defibrillator fails to prevent sudden death after MI

Though they might provide some benefit to high-risk patients in the month after a heart attack, wearable cardioverter-defibrillators don’t significantly lower the rate of arrhythmic death in those who have suffered myocardial infarctions, according to work published in the New England Journal of Medicine Sept. 27.

September 28, 2018

Heart mesh alleviates stubborn angina in 1st US procedure

Cardiologists at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit have successfully performed the country’s first implantation of the Neovasc Reducer—a stainless steel, hourglass-shaped heart mesh designed to alleviate difficult angina—the hospital announced in a statement Sept. 26.

September 27, 2018

23 Arkansas hospitals unite to reduce impact of MI in the state

Twenty-three hospitals from across Arkansas have joined the Arkansas Heart Attack Registry (AHAR), a collaborative effort to reduce the impact of myocardial infarctions in the state, THV 11 reported this week.

September 26, 2018

Researchers solidify link between mitral valve prolapse, sudden cardiac death

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP)—a common condition that’s rarely serious—might boost heart patients’ risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD), researchers reported in the BMJ journal Heart this week.

September 26, 2018

TCT.18: BIONYX finds novel zotarolimus-eluting stent noninferior to Orsiro

Resolute Onyx, a polymer-coated zotarolimus-eluting stent, has been proven safe and effective in an all-comer population of more than 2,000 heart patients, according to late-breaking results of the BIONYX trial.

September 24, 2018

There’s a racial gap in NSTEMI care—and it’s not improving

Despite having the highest burden of cardiovascular disease in the U.S. and averaging more comorbidities than white patients, blacks are less likely to receive guideline-concordant care after a non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), researchers reported this week.

September 20, 2018

Heart transplant patients see worse in-hospital outcomes after acute MI

The prevalence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the heart transplant (HT) population is “very low,” according to research published in the current online edition of the American Journal of Cardiology, but HT patients who do suffer a heart attack are more likely to experience longer hospital stays, higher 30-day readmission rates and greater in-hospital morbidities.

September 18, 2018

Acute Coronary Syndromes

AI-powered coronary plaque assessments show ‘strong agreement’ with IVUS

World Health Organization urges countries to limit salt intake to reduce risk of CVD, hypertension

Mammogram findings linked to heightened risk of CVD, type 2 diabetes and hypertension

AI-based CAD assessments dramatically improve vascular surgery outcomes

Even lenient plant-based diets can help older adults live longer