ESC: European Society of Cardiology

The digital transformation of the cardiology field in the coming years will have a huge impact on the delivery of healthcare, said John Rumsfeld, MD, PhD, chief innovation officer at the American College of Cardiology.

The COMPASS trial results could reshape the standard of care for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and peripheral artery disease (PAD), according to Deepak Bhatt, MD, MPH, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

The effects of air pollution on heart health are well known now, and it can be an issue for people in both urban and rural areas of the United States, explained Jeanette Stingone, PhD, of Mount Sinai Health System.

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is entering into novel digital health partnerships to innovate cardiology care and improve cardiovascular health, explained John Rumsfeld, MD, PhD, chief innovation officer at the ACC.

Current drugs for pulmonary hypertension treat 3 pathways, but currently there aren't any new drugs to treat different pathways, although there likely will be some in the future, said Simon Gibbs, MD, Reader in Pulmonary Hypertension at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London.

There is an ongoing debate about how aggressively to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, but Steve Nissen, MD, of Cleveland Clinic, argues that studies have shown an aggressive approach to lowering LDL always shows benefits.

John Eikelboom, MD, of McMaster University discusses the 3 arms of the COMPASS trial and explains the need for it to end earlier than anticipated.

John Eikelboom, MD, of McMaster University discusses the 3 outcomes of the COMPASS trial that address the main concerns of patients.

The majority of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, except for a few special circumstances, will begin treatment on combination therapy, instead of monotherapy, because combination therapy has been shown in trials to ahve better outcomes, explained Simon Gibbs, MD, Reader in Pulmonary Hypertension at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London.

Healthcare providers can encourage cardiac patients to adhere to exercise and diet guidelines by asking how they are doing with recommendations and emphasizing the importance of following through, explained Christi Deaton, PhD, RN, FAHA, FESC, of the University of Cambridge.

Two recent trials have demonstrate which types of patients are benefit the most from being treated with PCSK9 inhibitors, explained Steven Nissen, MD, of Cleveland Clinic.

Researchers have known for years: what happens to mom in pregnancy affects the baby. That holds true with prenatal exposure to air pollution, which has lingering cardiovascular effects, such as birth defects and a higher risk of obesity, explained Jeanette Stingone, PhD, of Mount Sinai Health System.

Patients can self-manage their cardiovascular disease and improve their quality of life by improving diet, being more physically active, taking medications as prescribed, and being partners in their care with their healthcare provider, said Christi Deaton, PhD, RN, FAHA, FESC, of the University of Cambridge.

The rivaroxaban plus aspirin combination therapy to treat patients with stable coronary or peripheral artery disease showed such benefits in the COMPASS trial that it should become the standard of care, said John Eikelboom, MBBS, MSc, FRCPC, associate professor at McMaster University.

Patients with heart failure tend to have other health issues, requiring cardiologists to understand how to care for heart failure while keeping in mind treatment for these other comorbidities, said panelists at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2017, held August 26-30 in Barcelona, Spain.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension requires vigilant monitoring beyond just a superficial conversation, including several yearly tests and analyses, according to Simon Gibbs, MD, Reader in Pulmonary Hypertension at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London.

The results of the COMPASS trial testing rivaroxaban plus aspirin in patients with coronary artery disease or peripheral artery disease showed such significant benefits for reducing ischemic events that it was stopped early, explained Deepak Bhatt, MD, MPH, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

For each level of cardiovascular risk, lifestyle factors remain a significant contributor that can be modified to reduce risk. However, some risk will remain nonmodifiable and require therapy, according to panelists during a session on cardiovascular prevention at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2017, held August 26-30 in Barcelona, Spain.

Emergency cardiac care is an interesting challenge for digital health but it has a lot of potential if it can bring together the public and the healthcare system to create app, predictive models, and more to be able to detect stroke and acute myocardial infarction earlier, explained John Rumsfeld, MD, PhD, chief innovation officer at the American College of Cardiology.

Rivaroxaban plus aspirin has significant benefits for patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) and stable coronary artery disease, according to the results of the COMPASS (Cardiovascular OutcoMes for People using Anticoagulation StrategieS) trial, presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2017, held August 26-30 in Barcelona, Spain.

Trial results that will be presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2017 in Barcelona, Spain, will open up a new window into treatment for patients at risk of major cardiovascular events, explained Steven E. Nissen, MD, of Cleveland Clinic, at the start of the conference.