AHA Sessions 2020
The American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2020 were presented in a virtual format November 13-17, 2020.
Real-World Data Find Few Differences in Cardiovascular Outcomes between SGLT2 Inhibitors and GLP1 Agonists
Presenter: Juan J. Badimon, PhD
In patients with stable heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) without a diagnosis of diabetes, the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor improved indices of cardiac remodeling compared with placebo.
Dual imaging identifies cause of MINOCA in more than 80% of women
Presenters: Harmony Reynolds, MD, Martha Gulati, MD and Donald Lloyd Jones, MD, ScM
The underlying cause of myocardial infarction (MI) with nonobstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) can be determined in more than 80% of women using a multimodal imaging strategy consisting of coronary optical coherence tomography (OCT) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), according to findings from the Women’s Heart Attack Research Program (HARP),1 an international multicenter study investigating the causes of MI in women referred for cardiac catheterization.
‘Nocebo’ effect explains 90% of symptoms in patients who quit statins because of side effects
Presenters: James Philip Howard, PhD, MB and Francine K. Welty, MD, PhD
An “n-of-1” study of patients who discontinued statin therapy because of side effects reveals similar intensity of symptoms between placebo and atorvastatin, both of which were significantly greater than symptom severity experienced during a no-tablet period. The findings from the Self-Assessment Method for Statin Side-effects Or Nocebo study (SAMSON) demonstrate a significant nocebo effect that, when explained to patients, enabled half of them to successfully restart a statin.
Novel treatments deliver positive results for populations with substantial cardiovascular morbidity and mortality
Presenters: Gerasimos Filippatos, MD and Robert Rosenson, MD
In separate clinical trials, investigational therapies for the treatment of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus and patients with refractory hypercholesterolemia showed the potential to reduce cardiovascular risk in these populations.
Rate of CV complications substantial, but lower than expected in hospitalized COVID-19 patients
Presenters: James A. De Lemos, MD and Fatima Rodgriguez, MD, MPH
While cardiovascular (CV) complications are an important problem in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, they are less common than initially feared, according to data from the American Heart Association national COVID-19 Disease Registry.
Spectrum of cardiovascular toxicities with immunotherapy for cancer is wide
Presenter: Han Zhu, MD
As the use of immunotherapy to treat cancer surges, clinicians must be aware of the risk of serious adverse cardiovascular effects such as myocarditis, arrhythmias, and atherosclerotic events. The rate of immune-related adverse events from the use of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy is 17% to 33% as single agents, increasing to as high as 50% when used in combination.