TRANSFORM-HF trial found no difference in effectiveness between 2 common loop diuretics
Research Highlights:
- Treating people for heart failure with the loop diuretic medication torsemide did not reduce death rates more than the most common diuretic medication furosemide.
- Researchers say health care professionals should now focus on appropriate dosing of diuretics and implementation of medicines proven […]
No difference in heart outcomes found in use of two diuretics to treat blood pressure
Research Highlights:
- In a study comparing the effectiveness of two high blood pressure medications (both diuretics) among elderly veterans, there was no difference in cardiovascular outcomes or non-cancer deaths.
- There was also no difference in heart attack, stroke, heart failure or other cardiovascular outcomes.
- In […]
Novel gene-editing therapy shows promise for patients with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy
Research Highlights:
- In a clinical trial, a single intravenous infusion of NTLA-2001, a novel gene-editing therapy based on CRISPR/Cas9, significantly reduced abnormal levels of the protein transthyretin in patients with ATTR amyloid cardiomyopathy, a progressive and fatal cause of heart failure.
- Circulating TTR protein, […]
Steroids during surgery may not be helpful for infants having heart bypass
Research Highlights:
- A multi-center, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial with 1,200 infants (younger than age 1) found that administering steroids during heart surgery did not improve post-operative outcomes compared to placebo, and increased the need for low blood glucose requiring insulin treatment.
- Investigators found […]
Mindfulness shows promise as an effective intervention to lower blood pressure
Research Highlights:
- Adults with elevated blood pressure who participated in a mindfulness behavior program for eight weeks had significantly lower blood pressure levels and greatly reduced sedentary time, when evaluated at six months follow up.
- The mindfulness program was focused on attention control, meditation, […]
Personalized evaluation for chest pain effective, may eliminate unnecessary testing
Research Highlights:
- For people with stable chest pain, a personalized “precision” testing approach led to more efficient evaluations for heart disease risk and improved diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease when compared to usual care.
- In a study of more than 2,000 adults […]
Diabetes medicine decreased cardiovascular risk in adults with chronic kidney disease
Research Highlights:
- A new analysis found SGLT-2 inhibitors, a diabetes medication, decreased the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalization for heart failure, in high-risk patients regardless of whether they have Type 2 diabetes.
- Pooled results from 13 major trials of empagliflozin and similar medicines […]
Restored blood flow meant less pain, better quality of life for those with leg artery disease
Research Highlights:
- A study of more than 1,800 people with severe peripheral artery disease, or PAD, who were at risk for amputation compared the clinical, safety, quality of life and cost outcomes between those who had bypass surgery and those who had angioplasty […]
Maximizing heart failure meds within 2 weeks reduced risk of hospital readmission, death
Research Highlights:
- A multinational, randomized trial evaluated outcomes for people hospitalized with acute heart failure who received a high-intensity treatment strategy that maximized the doses of heart failure medications within two weeks of hospital discharge in comparison to those who received the standard […]
6 common “heart-health” supplements ineffective at lowering cholesterol compared to statins
Research Highlights:
- Six widely used dietary supplements promoted for improving heart health – including brands of fish oil, cinnamon, garlic and turmeric – were not effective at lowering “bad” cholesterol more than placebo after 28 days of use.
- However, a common, low-dose cholesterol-lowering medication […]