Percutaneous reduction of secondary mitral regurgitation in patients with heart failure does not lower death and hospitalization at two years compared to standard medical care, according to late breaking results from the MITRA-FR study. Results were presented in a Hot Line Session at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2019 together with the World Congress of Cardiology, Aug. 31-Sept. 4 in Paris, France, and published in the European Journal of Heart Failure.

The angiotensin neprilysin inhibitor sacubitril/valsartan (Entresto) missed its primary endpoint of reducing total hospitalization and cardiovascular death in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), but the data suggest there may be benefit in some patient groups. The late-breaking results of the PARAGON-HF trial were presented in a Hot Line Session at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2019, Aug. 31-Sept. 4 in Paris, France, together with the World Congress of Cardiology and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The combination of ticagrelor and aspirin reduces ischemic events compared with aspirin alone in patients with stable coronary artery disease and diabetes. The late-breaking results of the THEMIS trial were presented in a Hot Line Session at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2019, Aug. 31-Sept. 4 in Paris, France, together with the World Congress of Cardiology and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Prasugrel is superior to ticagrelor for reducing ischemic events in patients with acute coronary syndrome and a planned invasive strategy. The late-breaking results of the ISAR-REACT 5 trial were presented in a Hot Line Session at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2019, Aug. 31-Sept. 4 in Paris, France together with the World Congress of Cardiology and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.[1] There was no increase in the rate of major bleeding with prasugrel.

The American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) published a new expert consensus document along with eight other societies on recommendations for multimodality imaging in cardiac amyloidosis in the Journal of Nuclear Cardiology. ASNC assembled a writing team of 26 experts in cardiovascular imaging and amyloidosis representing these nine societies: the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the American Heart Association (AHA), the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM), the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA), the International Society of Amyloidosis (ISA), the Society of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR), and the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI). Emerging imaging methods have facilitated earlier diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis and improved prognostication and management with new treatment options. The diagnostic criteria for cardiac amyloidosis, required updating to include these novel imaging tools.

Business-to-business communications company Scranton Gillette Communications has named Diane Vojcanin as vice president, group publisher, healthcare group. Additionally, the company is announcing that Andreja Slapsys will serve as a healthcare group integrated media consultant.