ACCEL Lite: Featured ACCEL Interviews on Exciting CV Research

The TRANQUILITY trial was designed to evaluate whether pacibekitug can reduce interleukin-6 (IL-6)-driven inflammation, a key inflammatory pathway increasingly linked to cardiovascular risk. Treatment with pacibekitug demonstrated favorable effects on inflammatory and cardiovascular risk biomarkers, supporting IL-6 inhibition as a potential therapeutic strategy for reducing residual inflammatory risk. These findings further strengthen the evidence implicating IL-6 as an important mediator of cardiovascular disease.

In this episode, Dipti Itchhaporia MD, MACC and Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, MBA, FACC discuss TRANQUILITY: Efficacy of monthly and quarterly dosing of pacibekitug (IL-6 ligand mAb) targeting inflammation in CKD with high cardiovascular risk.

The CorCal Outcomes study showed that using coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring to guide statin therapy for the primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) was as effective as the Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE) in preventing major adverse cardiovascular (CV) events. CAC-guided treatment identified fewer patients for statin therapy while achieving comparable outcomes. These findings suggest CAC scoring may be a more efficient approach for personalizing primary ASCVD prevention strategies.

In this episode, Allen J. Taylor, MD, FACC and Joseph Brent Muhlestein, MD, FACC discuss "CorCal: Pooled Cohort Equations versus Coronary Artery Calcium Score in ASCVD Primary Prevention".

Among patients with symptomatic nonobstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), treatment with aficamten resulted in significantly greater improvements in exercise capacity and quality of life compared with placebo over 36 weeks. The ACACIA-HCM findings offer promising news for patients and clinicians managing this challenging condition. Importantly, the trial is the first to demonstrate clinically meaningful symptomatic and functional benefits with a therapy designed to address the root cause of the disease.

In this episode, Matthew Martinez, MD, FACC and Ahmad Masri, MD, FACC evaluate "ACACIA-HCM: Aficamten for symptomatic nonobstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy".

The PRESC1SE-MI trial evaluated whether an accelerated diagnostic pathway for suspected myocardial infarction could improve Emergency Department efficiency without compromising safety. Compared with standard care, the accelerated strategy demonstrated similar safety but did not reduce Emergency Department length of stay.

In this episode, Jeroen J. Bax PhD, MD, FACC and Jasper Boeddinghaus, MD discuss "PRESC1SE-MI: Safety and efficacy of the ESC 0/1-hour Pathway".

As TAVI expands to younger and healthier patients, valve durability has become an increasingly important consideration. However, the optimal antithrombotic strategy to support long-term valve function remains unclear. This trial compared antiplatelet monotherapy with NOAC monotherapy to help address this unmet need.

In this episode, Deepak L. Bhatt MD, MPH, MBA, FACC and Øyvind H. Lie, MD, PhD, MSc examine the results of "ACASA-TAVI: Antithrombotic therapy after TAVI".

Catheter ablation is frequently performed to improve quality of life in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). This randomized multicenter trial compared catheter ablation with a sham procedure to assess the true effect of the intervention on AF-related quality of life.

In this episode, Clyde W. Yancy, MD, MACC and Rolf Wachter, MD discuss the results of "PVI-SHAM-AF: Pulmonary vein isolation versus SHAM in AF".

The FUND-HF trial found that financial support provided soon after hospitalization is a practical strategy for improving medication adherence among economically vulnerable patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction. These results lay the groundwork for future trials designed to examine the durability of these benefits and their effects on health-related quality of life and clinical outcomes.

In this interview, Alison L. Bailey, MD, FACC and Ambarish Pandey, MD, MS examine the effect of financial support on quality of life and medication adherence among low-income patients following hospitalization for heart failure.

The future of cardiovascular health depends on prevention that begins early in life. This episode reviews strategies for recognizing cardiovascular risk at an early stage and implementing interventions that can alter the trajectory of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease before complications occur.

In this interview, Allen J. Taylor, MD, FACC and Michael J. Blaha MD, MPH discuss Primordial Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) in Young.

Cardiovascular protection during cancer treatment is critical to help prevent complications such as heart failure. Patients should be educated on risk factors, symptom awareness, and heart-healthy behaviors. Oncologists should incorporate cardiovascular risk assessment and surveillance into treatment planning, while general cardiologists should understand the potential cardiotoxic effects of cancer therapies and partner closely with oncology teams to support long-term patient health.

In this interview, Dipti Itchhaporia MD, MACC and Ana Barac, MD, PhD, FACC discuss Umbrella: Cardioprotection During Treatment.

Nonobstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) represents one of the greatest areas of unmet need in HCM management. A key question is identifying the primary driver of symptoms in these patients, as many experience significant functional limitations despite the absence of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. Understanding the rate and mechanisms of heart failure progression in nonobstructive HCM is also critical, given the substantial morbidity associated with the disease. As a result, there is strong interest in novel therapies that may address underlying disease pathology and improve long-term patient outcomes.

In this interview, Matthew Martinez, MD, FACC and Martin Maron, MD examine treatment for nonobstructive HCM.