Even the weekly Cardio Round-up isn’t immune from coronavirus news! In this week’s edition, the ACC has cancelled the annual scientific sessions,
ACC.20 Cancelled Due to COVID-19/Coronavirus Concerns
The American College of Cardiology (ACC), like many other professional societies, has cancelled its annual conference out of precaution due to concerns about the coronavirus. Plans are in motion to hold virtual sessions and presentations. “The health, safety, and well-being of our members, staff, exhibitors, faculty, and other stakeholders is of paramount importance, ACC President Richard J. Kovacs, MD, FACC, said in a press release. “With an ever-increasing number of ACC members on the front lines of preparing and reacting to the COVID-19 outbreak, it is in the best interest of everyone to cancel the meeting and ensure our members are able to do what they do best: help and heal.”
American College of Cardiology Cancels ACC.20 Due to Coronavirus Concerns
Femoral Access Tricuspid Implantation Achieved
A surgical team in Toronto has succeeded in the world’s first minimally-invasive tricuspid valve replacement. The interventional team implanted an EVOQUE tricuspid valve (Edwards Life Sciences) through the femoral vein in his leg (rather than the typical implantation method of open hart surgery or a thoractomy. After follow-up, the researchers reported that the patient had “excellent” clinical response and was discharged after receiving anticoagulation. The patient’s NYHA status improved from class III to class I at six months, and had reduced diuretic requirements, increased six-minute walk distance, and improved quality of life as assessed with the Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire.
Tricuspid Valve Implantation via Femoral Access Achieved For First Time
AI Algorithm Helps ECGs Detect Valve Problems
A new artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm has been shown in a recent study to aid in the detection of mitral regurgitation using routine echocardiography. The researchers trained an AI algorithm using 56,670 electrocardiograms (ECGs) from more than 24,000 patients. In the more than 3,000 patients who did not have mitral regurgitation, the patients that were identified by the algorithm as high-risk had a higher risk for developing the condition compared to the low-risk group (13.9% vs. 2.6%, respectively; P<0.001) during study follow-up. “The proposed AI algorithm demonstrated promising results for mitral regurgitation detecting using 12-lead and single-lead ECGs,” the authors concluded.
Apixaban Bests Rivaroxaban for Stroke, Bleeding in AFib Patients
A new cohort analysis shows that apixaban prescribed routinely was associated with lower rates of ischemic stroke and lower bleeding in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation when compared with rivaroxaban. The results suggested that ischemic stroke incidence or systemic embolism was lower in those prescribed apixaban compared with those prescribed rivaroxaban (6.6 per 1,000 person-years vs. 8.0 per 1,000 person-years, respectively; HR=0.82; 95% CI, 0.68 to 0.98). This led to a rate difference of 1.4 fewer events per 1,000 person-years (CI, 0.0 to 2.7). “Apixaban and rivaroxaban are the most commonly prescribed direct oral anticoagulants for adults with atrial fibrillation, but head-to-head data comparing their safety and effectiveness are lacking,” the authors wrote in their abstract, publishing in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Apixaban Lowers Ischemic Stroke and Bleeding with Routine Use in Atrial Fibrillation Patients