Heart Matters

The National Lipid Association (NLA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) recently provided recommendations to help us achieve optimal low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels in statin-intolerant patients, but what other management strategies are available? Joining Dr. Charles Turck to answer this question and to give more key insights is Dr. Yehuda Handelsman, Medical Director and Principal Investigator at the Metabolic Institute of America.

Join Dr. John Russell as he speaks about diagnosing and treating pulmonary arterial hypertension using the latest pharmacologic and medical management strategies with Dr. Valerie McLaughlin, Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program at the University of Michigan.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects approximately 5 to 13 percent of women in the general population. And although previous research has shown its link to cardiovascular (CV) risk factors later in life, a new study has revealed that PCOS can increase the risk of heart complications during delivery. So what do these findings mean when it comes to caring for pregnant patients with PCOS? Find out with Dr. Hector Chapa as he’s joined by lead author of the study Dr. Erin Michos, who's the Director of Women’s Cardiovascular Health and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

As global temperatures continue to rise, experts are calling attention to the devastating effects this can have on human health. Cardiovascular mortality is especially a concern, as two recent studies from the University of Pennsylvania outlined the connection between these two health risks. To learn more about how climate change can impact our cardiovascular health, Dr. Javed Butler is joined by Dr. Sameed Khatana, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and a physician at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

There is currently no safe way to get a close-up view of the human heart, which is exactly why a team of Boston University researchers created a device to mimic the human organ. So how does the new device called miniPUMP work, and how was it developed? To discuss this, Dr. Javed Butler is joined by Dr. Alice White and Dr. Christopher Chen from Boston University.

The Pragmatic Trial of Messaging to Providers About Treatment in Heart Failure (PROMPT-HF) was designed to test the hypothesis that tailored and targeted electronic health record alerts recommending guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) for patients with heart failure (HF) would result in greater adherence to medication use. Explore the trial’s findings with Dr. Javed Butler and Dr. Tariq Ahmad, Director of the Heart Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support Program and Chief of Heart Failure at the Yale University School of Medicine.

The Study of Dietary Intervention under 100 millimole in Heart Failure (SODIUM-HF) trial was designed to assess the effects of a low-sodium diet on adverse cardiovascular events. So what were the study’s findings, and what do they mean for our patients with heart failure? Dr. Javed Butler is joined by Dr. Justin Ezekowitz, who shared the SODIUM-HF trial results at the 2022 American of Cardiology Annual Scientific Meeting.

Iron deficiency is one of the most frequent comorbidities in patients with heart failure and is estimated to present in up to 50 percent of patients. So what’s the criteria for iron deficiency, and how is it currently defined in cardiology? To discuss this, Dr. Javed Butler is joined by Drs. John Cleland and Fraser Graham from the Institute of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow.

With the prevalence of heart failure continuing to rise worldwide, recent trials have shown that sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors may improve impairments and decrease the risk of hospitalizations. So based on these recent findings, what exactly is their role in the management of patients with heart failure? Find out with Dr. Javed Butler as he speaks with Dr. Mikhail Kosiborod, Professor of Medicine at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Vice-President of Research at Saint Luke's Health System.

Based on the 2021 American College of Cardiology Expert Consensus Decision Pathway recommendations, it might be time to rethink our approach to heart failure. But what exactly do the latest recommendations say regarding the role of angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors (ARNis) in the treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction? Joining Dr. Javed Butler to answer that key question is Dr. Nancy Albert.