News and views

The antibody molecule: from antitoxins to therapeutic antibodies...

The latest mega trial − IMPROVE-IT − dominated discussion at the recent American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions, with ezetimibe becoming the first non-statin lipid lowering agent to reduce clinical events. Other major talking points at the meeting, held in Chicago on 15th−19th November 2014, were the optimal duration for dual antiplatelet therapy after drug-eluting stent placement, whether oxygen may be harmful for STEMI patients who are not hypoxic, and more doubts about aspirin in primary prevention. ...

Non-statin lipid lowering was the focus of several studies reporting at the recent American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions in Chicago, USA. It was dominated by results from IMPROVE-IT, the first outcome study to show clinical events being reduced by a non-statin lipid lowering agent. Results from the ODYSSEY studies with PCSK9 inhibitors also reporting at the meeting continue to look promising with dramatic reductions in cholesterol seen. There was also good news for the long-term use of statins reported at the meeting. 20-year follow-up in the WOSCOPS study show a lifetime benefit after five years statin therapy and confirmation of their safety. With clinicians increasingly asking how low can we go with cholesterol lowering, this report puts these studies in perspective for UK practice as well as summarising key results. Some of the physicians we interviewed here also talk about the implications of the studies in our AHA podcast....

Highlights of studies presented at the 2014 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, put into a UK perspective. Professor Tony Wierzbicki talks about the relevance of the IMPROVE-IT study for UK practice, and Professor Robin Choudhury examines the diagnosis of statin intolerance....

News in brief from the world of cardiology...

We continue our series in which Consultant Interventionist Dr Michael Norell takes a sideways look at life in the cath lab…and beyond. In this column, he muses on curious incidents and their significance in our working practices....

BJC Learning: heart failure programme...

Much of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2014 Congress programme was devoted to important clinical issues such as management of arrhythmia, and stroke prevention in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This was supplemented with updates from major AF Registry data, which chart the rates of AF, along with trends in adopting novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs), and the incidence of DC cardioversion and radiofrequency ablation throughout Europe. There was also much anticipation surrounding the results from the randomised clinical studies looking at rivaroxaban in cardioversion, and amiodarone in AF ablation, both included in ESC hotline sessions. ...

This year’s European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress promised the strongest scientific programme yet and it did not disappoint. With 4,598 posters and oral presentations, much excitement surrounded the reporting of the 27 studies in the five hot line sessions. While results from PARADIGM and ODYSSEY look set to be major breakthroughs in the treatment of heart failure and cholesterol lowering, respectively, the results from SIGNIFY caused much debate over the role of heart rate in cardiovascular disease. We report some of the highlights of this year’s Congress attended by over 30,000 delegates and held in Barcelona, Spain, from 30th August to 2nd September 2014. Our podcasts (available here) put some of the key studies in perspective for UK practice....

News from lipid studies was a major topic at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2014 Congress. The theme this year was ‘Innovation and the Heart’, reflecting progress in scientific discovery, clinical practice and technology with the ultimate aim of addressing unmet clinical needs in cardiovascular disease (CVD). According to Professor Keith Fox (University of Edinburgh) and Chair of the Congress Programme Committee: “ESC Congress aims to engage all countries in the fight against CVD. Although the clinical settings differ, the reality is that all countries face similar challenges.” Results from lipid studies presented at the meeting will help in this aim....