A Pharmacologic Update: New Treatments for Patients with Cardiovascular Disease.

Pharmacologic agents are a key part of the medical armamentarium aimed at reducing the significant morbidity and mortality caused by cardiovascular disease (CVD). In recent years, the landscape of CVD treatment has evolved with the development of new medication classes and the repurposing of existing medications for new indications. This article provides nurses with a pharmacologic update on new and emerging therapies for the treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, familial hypercholesterolemia, and heart failure.

Oral Contraceptive Pills and Hypertension: A Review of Current Evidence and Recommendations.

Oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) have been used as effective and popular forms of contraception since the middle of the last century. By 2019, over 150 million reproductive-aged individuals were using OCPs to prevent unintended pregnancies worldwide. Safety concerns regarding the effects of OCPs on blood pressure were reported soon after these pills gained approval.

Behavioural Economics to Improve Antihypertensive Therapy Adherence (BETA): protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial in Los Angeles.

Introduction: Non-adherence to antihypertensive therapy is one of the major barriers to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Several interventions have targeted higher medication adherence, yet most do not result in sustained adherence. Routinisation has emerged as a potential method for mitigating this problem, but requires high motivation during the relatively long habit formation phase.

Variability independent of mean blood pressure as a real-world measure of cardiovascular risk.

Background: Individual-level blood pressure (BP) variability, independent of mean BP levels, has been associated with increased risk for cardiovascular events in cohort studies and clinical trials using standardized BP measurements. The extent to which BP variability relates to cardiovascular risk in the real-world clinical practice setting is unclear. We sought to determine if BP variability in clinical practice is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes using clinically generated data from the electronic health record (EHR).

Improving Efficiency of the Barbershop Model of Hypertension Care for Black Men With Virtual Visits.

Background The LABBPS (Los Angeles Barbershop Blood Pressure Study) developed a new model of hypertension care for non-Hispanic Black men that links health promotion by barbers to medication management by pharmacists. Barriers to scaling the model include inefficiencies that contribute to the cost of the intervention, most notably, pharmacist travel time. To address this, we tested whether virtual visits could be substituted for in-person visits after blood pressure (BP) control was achieved.

Cost-Effectiveness of Hypertension Treatment by Pharmacists in Black Barbershops.

Background: In LABBPS (Los Angeles Barbershop Blood Pressure Study), pharmacist-led hypertension care in Los Angeles County Black-owned barbershops significantly improved blood pressure control in non-Hispanic Black men with uncontrolled hypertension at baseline. In this analysis, 10-year health outcomes and health care costs of 1 year of the LABBPS intervention versus control are projected.

Methods: A discrete event simulation of hypertension care processes projected blood pressure, medication-related adverse events, fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular disease events, and noncardiovascular disease death in LABBPS participants.

Barbershop Management of Hypertension in the African American Population: Pitfalls and Opportunities for Extension to Other Underserved Communities.

Purpose Of Review: This review summarizes the results of recent barbershop-based studies focusing on the diagnosis and management of hypertension (HTN) in black adults. The pitfalls of prior attempts and opportunities for the development of future programs to address health disparities on a larger scale are also reviewed.

Recent Findings: While barbershop health outreach has become a commonplace in recent years, the quality of the evidence on the effectiveness of such programs has been weak, until the Los Angeles Barbershop Blood Pressure Study (LABBPS), a rigorously carried out cluster-randomized trial, demonstrated a - 21 mmHg greater reduction in BP among black hypertensive men who were assigned to a pharmacist-led HTN intervention when compared with usual care.

Sustainability of blood pressure reduction in black barbershops.

Purpose Of Review: The prevalence of hypertension (HTN) among non-Hispanic blacks increased from 41 to 55% with the release of the new 2017 ACC/AHA guidelines - the highest among any racial group. Non-Hispanic black men have less physician interaction and lower blood pressure (BP) treatment and control rates when compared with their female counterparts, necessitating community outreach. Here, we review the Los Angeles Barbershop Blood Pressure Study (LABBPS) which demonstrated a community-based approach involving pharmacists, physicians, and barbers could improve BP control rates among black men.

Nocturia as an Unrecognized Symptom of Uncontrolled Hypertension in Black Men Aged 35 to 49 Years.

Background Hypertension is assumed to be asymptomatic. Yet, clinically significant nocturia (≥2 nightly voids) constitutes a putative symptom of uncontrolled hypertension. Black men with hypertension may be prone to nocturia because of blunted nocturnal blood pressure ( BP ) dipping, diuretic drug use for hypertension, and comorbidity that predisposes to nocturia.

Sustainability of Blood Pressure Reduction in Black Barbershops.

Background: We developed a new model of hypertension care for non-Hispanic black men that links health promotion by barbers to medication management by American Society of Hypertension-certified pharmacists and demonstrated efficacy in a 6-month cluster-randomized trial. The marked reduction in systolic blood pressure (BP) seen at 6 months warranted continuing the trial through 12 months to test sustainability, a necessary precondition for implementation research.

Methods: We enrolled a cohort of 319 black male patrons with systolic BP ≥140 mm Hg at baseline.