SPRINT BP Control Benefit Fizzles Out; Hot Flashes and CVD; Metformin for Afib?

In a new policy statement, the American College of Cardiology endorsed more flexible hours and work arrangements so that cardiologists and trainees can have a better work-life balance.

High-intensity care following heart failure (HF) hospitalization — with rapid uptitration of guideline-directed medical therapy — cut deaths and HF readmissions at 6 months in STRONG-HF, allowing the trial to be terminated early for efficacy.

To remedy a HeartWare Ventricular Assist Device controller software issue, Medtronic said it will provide affected users with a backup controller with modified, albeit unapproved, software.

A review of cardiovascular drug interactions with the COVID-19 drug nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid) included antiarrhythmic agents, antiplatelets, and anticoagulants. (Journal of the American College of Cardiology)

SPRINT trial participants subject to intensive blood pressure (BP) control lost their survival advantage in the long run, as they had BP rebound in the years since the study ended. (JAMA Cardiology)

About one in 10 patients with spontaneous coronary artery dissection are men, who tend to be affected at a younger age and are more likely to have a physical rather than an emotional trigger. (JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions)

Fewer than half of people who survived heart attacks or underwent coronary revascularization end up intensifying their secondary prevention lipid therapy within a year, says a study of U.S. veterans. (Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes)

The risk of atrial fibrillation (Afib) was elevated in users of methamphetamines, cocaine, opiates, and cannabis, according to a large study highlighted by the European Society of Cardiology.

For Afib patients with valvular heart disease, apixaban (Eliquis) may have a better safety profile than rivaroxaban (Xarelto). (Annals of Internal Medicine)

The investigational calcium channel blocker nasal spray etripamil triumphed over placebo for paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia in the phase III RAPID trial, Milestone Pharmaceuticals announced.

Electric bikes may facilitate more physical activity for some older or overweight people, but they are ultimately unlikely to help users reach exercise targets, a study suggests. (BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine)

Black barbershops are the site of another community-based cardiovascular intervention, this time screening for peripheral artery disease (PAD). (Journal of the American Heart Association)

The Eluvia paclitaxel-eluting stent outperformed bare metal stents for patency in PAD of the femoropopliteal segment, the EMINENT trial found. (Circulation)

Medtronic’s SelectSecure Model 3830 lead got an expanded FDA indication for left bundle branch area pacing in addition to His-Bundle pacing for patients with slow heart rates, the company said.

Abiomed says FDA gave 510(k) clearance to the Impella Low Profile Sheath for easier device insertion.

For stroke patients presenting in the extended time window with extensive signs of infarction, thrombectomy was associated with better functional outcomes in a registry study. (JAMA Network Open)

Hot flashes during menopause may flag cardiovascular risk in women, according to a research reported at the North American Menopause Society annual meeting.

At one center, the rate of complications from right and left ventricular endomyocardial biopsy reached 4.1%, with serious life-threatening cardiac complications occurring in <1% of biopsies. (JACC Heart Failure)

An obituary for cardiology leader Asher Kimchi, MD, from Cedars-Sinai.

There is potential for metformin to be repurposed as a treatment for atrial fibrillation. (Cell Reports Medicine)

A part-time transplant cardiologist and musician, Suzanne Brown Sacks, MD, is profiled by Vanderbilt University Medical Center.