Tag Archives: European Atherosclerosis Society

American College of Cardiology The Annual Scientific Session of American College of Cardiology (ACC) took place in Chicago, USA, from April 2nd–4th 2016. FIRE AND ICE: to freeze or fry the atrium? Cryoballoon atrial ablation was found to be non-inferior to radiofrequency (RF) ablation with respect to efficacy for the treatment of patients with drug-refractory paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF). There was also no significant difference between the two procedures in regard to patient safety, according to late-breaking clinical trial research presented at ACC and simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine (doi: 10.1056/NE

FH: improving detection in primary care The launch of the NICE (National Institute of Health and Care Excellence) guidelines for familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) heralded great optimism for improving detection rates in primary care.1 Even with new research showing that FH is more common than previously thought,2  still around 80% of patients are not recognised. Novel detection approaches are clearly needed. Professor Nadeem Qureshi (University of Nottingham) presented preliminary findings from six GP centres taking part in FAMCHOL (Feasibility of Improving Identification of Familial Hypercholesterolaemia in General Practice: Intervention

Lowering LDL-cholesterol: we need to do better It is essential that high-risk patients attain the recommended low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol target. As reported at the first late-breaking session, the choice and dose of statin are key factors influencing LDL-cholesterol lowering. In a meta-analysis of the VOYAGER (Individual Patient Data Meta-analysis of Statin Therapy in At-risk Groups: Effects of Rosuvastatin, Atorvastatin and Simvastatin) database of 37 studies of high-intensity statins, 71% of patients treated with rosuvastatin 40 mg achieved at least 50% reduction in LDL-cholesterol levels, compared with 59% for atorvastatin 8

A preview of the EAS statement was announced during the EAS 2010 Congress held in June in Hamburg, Germany, by Dr Børge Nordestgaard (University of Copenhagen, Denmark). He said bringing a patient’s Lp(a) level under 50 mg/dL should be a treatment priority, after the management of LDL cholesterol. It is thought that about 20% of people have plasma Lp(a) levels over 50 mg/dL, with no gender differences, but there are some racial differences, with whites and Asians having lower levels while black and Hispanics generally have somewhat higher levels. Since lifestyle appears to have little impact on Lp(a) level, the EAS recommends that 1 to 3 g