Implementing guideline-directed medical therapy: Stakeholder-identified barriers and facilitators.

Background: Despite strong evidence and Class I recommendations to support the use of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), use of these medications remain suboptimal. There is a great need to understand 1) what barriers to implementation of these therapies exist and 2) effective ways to support implementation of these therapies.

Methods: Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research framework, we conducted a broad array of interviews with stakeholders in the care of patients with HFrEF across 26 health systems to determine the barriers to GDMT implementation that health systems face, and to identify any factors that facilitated GDMT implementation and titration.

Prescription Fills Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes After Hospitalization for Acute Coronary Syndrome.

Importance: Individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) have high rates of mortality following myocardial infarction (MI). Hospitalization is an opportunity to initiate or continue evidence-based treatment to reduce risk in individuals with T2D and acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Objective: To determine patterns of evidence-based medication use during the period of transition from admission to discharge after hospitalization for MI or coronary revascularization among individuals with T2D and ACS.

Optimizing cardiometabolic risk in people living with human immunodeficiency virus: A deep dive into an important risk enhancer.

Effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) is now nearly ubiquitous. However, the survival benefits conferred with ART contribute to an aging human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) population and increased risk of chronic diseases, like atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Furthermore, HIV is a known risk enhancer of ASCVD and acknowledged as such in the current 2018 AHA/ACC Blood Cholesterol guidelines [1].

Lipoprotein (a) Testing in Patients With Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in 5 Large US Health Systems.

Background: Lipoprotein (a) is an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, lipoprotein (a) testing remains variable and it is unclear what factors influence testing and if testing changes clinical management.

Methods And Results: A retrospective study using electronic medical record data from 5 health systems identified an atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease cohort divided into those with and without a lipoprotein (a) test between 2019 and 2021.

Real-world exploration of LDL-cholesterol management in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Background: Although guidelines recommend low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) to be < 70 mg/dL in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), the rate of achieving this goal remains suboptimal. We sought to understand real world contemporary practice patterns of LDL-C management in patients with ASCVD, and whether LDL-C testing influenced management across US health systems.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study utilizing electronic medical record data from five health systems participating in the CardioHealth Alliance was performed on patients with an LDL-C measurement in 2021 and prior ASCVD.

Dietary patterns to promote cardiometabolic health.

Multiple professional societies recommend the Mediterranean and/or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension dietary patterns in their cardiovascular disease prevention guidelines because these diets can improve cardiometabolic health and reduce the risk of cardiovascular events. Furthermore, low sodium intake can be particularly beneficial for patients with hypertension. Carbohydrate restriction, with an emphasis on including high-quality carbohydrates and limiting refined starches and foods and beverages with added sugars, can promote weight loss and cardiometabolic benefits in the short term, compared with higher carbohydrate intake.

Effects of an Intervention to Improve Evidence-Based Care for People With Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease Across Sex, Race, and Ethnicity Subgroups: Insights From the COORDINATE-Diabetes Trial.

Background: Results from the COORDINATE-Diabetes trial (Coordinating Cardiology Clinics Randomized Trial of Interventions to Improve Outcomes - Diabetes) demonstrated that a multifaceted, clinic-based intervention increased prescription of evidence-based medical therapies to participants with type 2 diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. This secondary analysis assessed whether intervention success was consistent across sex, race, and ethnicity.

Methods: COORDINATE-Diabetes, a cluster randomized trial, recruited participants from 43 US cardiology clinics (20 randomized to intervention and 23 randomized to usual care).

Concordance With Screening and Treatment Guidelines for Chronic Kidney Disease in Type 2 Diabetes.

Importance: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an often-asymptomatic complication of type 2 diabetes (T2D) that requires annual screening to diagnose. Patient-level factors linked to inadequate screening and treatment can inform implementation strategies to facilitate guideline-recommended CKD care.

Objective: To identify risk factors for nonconcordance with guideline-recommended CKD screening and treatment in patients with T2D.

Severe obesity among patients with left ventricular assist devices.

Background: Patients with obesity and advanced heart failure requiring left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support are more likely to experience LVAD complications and may be disproportionately Black and/or female when compared to patients without obesity. Among these patients, obesity may represent a barrier to transplant eligibility and a marker of inequity in heart transplantation and health outcomes in advanced heart failure.

Methods: To better understand this issue at our institution, we examined our active LVAD cohort and found that almost one-third of all patients had severe obesity with BMI ≥ 35 kg/m.

Putting More Weight on Obesity Trials in Heart Failure.

Purpose Of Review: To review ongoing and planned clinical trials of weight loss among individuals with or at high risk of heart failure.

Recent Findings: Intentional weight loss via semaglutide among persons with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction and obesity significantly improves weight loss and health status as assessed by the KCCQ-CSS score and is associated with improvements in 6-min walk test. Ongoing and planned trials will explore the role of intentional weight loss with treatments such as semaglutide or tirzepatide for individuals with heart failure across the entire ejection fraction spectrum.

Worth Their Weight? An Update on New and Emerging Pharmacologic Agents for Obesity and Their Potential Role for Persons with Cardiac Conditions.

Purpose Of Review: Obesity is associated with cardiovascular (CV) conditions, including but not limited to atherosclerotic disease, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. Despite this, the impact of intentional weight loss on CV outcomes for persons with obesity and established CV conditions remains poorly studied. New and emerging pharmacologic therapies for weight loss primarily targeting the incretin/nutrient sensing axes induce substantial and sustained weight loss.

Relationship between body mass index and cardiometabolic health in a multi-ethnic population: A project baseline health study.

Objective: Obesity is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Understanding the associations between comprehensive health parameters and body mass index (BMI) may lead to targeted prevention efforts.

Methods: Project Baseline Health Study (PBHS) participants were divided into six BMI categories: underweight (BMI <18.

Regional variation in cause of death in patients with type 2 diabetes: Insights from EXSCEL.

Aims: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a risk factor for cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular mortality. However, global distribution of cause-specific deaths in T2D is poorly understood. We characterized cause-specific deaths by geographic region among individuals with T2D at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Improving medication adherence in cardiovascular disease.

Non-adherence to medication is a global health problem with far-reaching individual-level and population-level consequences but remains unappreciated and under-addressed in the clinical setting. With increasing comorbidity and polypharmacy as well as an ageing population, cardiovascular disease and medication non-adherence are likely to become increasingly prevalent. Multiple methods for detecting non-adherence exist but are imperfect, and, despite emerging technology, a gold standard remains elusive.

Improving Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy for Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction: A Review of Implementation Strategies.

Despite recent advances in the use of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), achievement of target GDMT use and up-titration to goal dosages continue to be modest. In recent years, a number of interventional approaches to improve the usage of GDMT have been published, but many are limited by single-center experiences with small sample sizes. However, strategies including the use of multidisciplinary teams, dedicated GDMT titration algorithms and clinician audits with feedback have shown promise.

Managing Obesity in Heart Failure: A Chance to Tip the Scales?

Obesity is associated with incident heart failure (HF), independent of other cardiovascular risk factors. Despite rising rates of both obesity and incident HF, the associations remain poorly understood between: 1) obesity and HF outcomes; and 2) weight loss and HF outcomes. Evidence shows that patients with HF and obesity have high symptom burdens, lower exercise capacity, and higher rates of hospitalization for HF when compared with patients with HF without obesity.

Should We "RESPECT EPA" More Now? EPA and DHA for Cardiovascular Risk Reduction.

Purpose Of Review: There has been much debate surrounding the use of omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), for cardiovascular (CV) risk reduction.

Recent Findings: Recent trials of EPA and DHA have offered conflicting evidence. Some demonstrate reduction in CV risk using EPA alone in select populations.

Branched-Chain Amino Acids in Computed Tomography-Defined Adipose Depots and Coronary Artery Disease: A PROMISE Trial Biomarker Substudy.

Background The interplay between branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolism, an important pathway in adiposity and cardiometabolic disease, and visceral adipose depots such as hepatic steatosis (HS) and epicardial adipose tissue is unknown. We leveraged the PROMISE clinical trial with centrally adjudicated coronary computed tomography angiography imaging to determine relationships between adipose depots, BCAA dysregulation, and coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods and Results The PROMISE (Prospective Multicenter Imaging Study for Evaluation of Chest Pain) trial randomized 10 003 outpatients with stable chest pain to computed tomography angiography versus standard-of-care diagnostics.

Contemporary patterns of lipoprotein(a) testing and associated clinical care and outcomes.

Objective: Elevated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, yet little is known about Lp(a) testing patterns in real-world practice. The objective of this analysis was to determine how Lp(a) testing is used in clinical practice in comparison with low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) testing alone, and to determine whether elevated Lp(a) level is associated with subsequent initiation of lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) and incident cardiovascular (CV) events.

Methods: This is an observational cohort study, based on lab tests administered between Jan 1, 2015 and Dec 31, 2019.

Evaluation of weight change and cardiometabolic risk factors in a real-world population of US adults with overweight or obesity.

Whether individuals in real-world settings are able to lose weight and improve cardiometabolic risk factors over time is unclear. We aimed to determine the management of and degree of body weight change over 2 years among individuals with overweight or obesity, and to assess associated changes in cardiometabolic risk factors and clinical outcomes. Using data from 11 large health systems within the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Network in the U.