TCTMD’s Top 10 Most Popular Stories for August 2018

This year’s European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress kept our readers rapt in August 2018, with new data on MitraClip, aspirin, ticagrelor, and rivaroxaban, among other hot topics. Additional Top 10 stories offered news on the valsartan recall, which was recently expanded in Europe and the United States, plus Takotsubo syndrome and revamped revascularization guidelines. Also, be sure to check out the feature article on how cardiologists keep up with their ever-changing field, from medical journals and major meetings to the Twittersphere.

1. MITRA-FR: No Benefit of MitraClip in Functional MR

Presenting the results at ESC, Jean-François Obadia expressed hope that other trials will help identify patients who might benefit from the device.

2. Valsartan Recall Expanded by FDA and European Medicines Agency

Over the past month, contaminated product has been withdrawn in more than two dozen countries. Now, additional suppliers have been targeted.

3. ASCEND: Aspirin Doesn’t Look Good for Primary CV Prevention in Diabetic Patients

Given the bleeding seen in the study, US guidelines that have been open to using aspirin in this setting need to be revisited, one expert says.

4. GLOBAL LEADERS: Ticagrelor Monotherapy Fails to Beat Conventional DAPT After PCI

Although explanations abound as to why the study failed to show a benefit, the consensus at ESC was that conventional use of DAPT should not change.

5. Aspirin Fails to Prevent CV Events in People at ‘Moderate’ Risk of Disease: ARRIVE

ARRIVE failed to reach its primary endpoint, but crossovers in the study led experts to stress the need to tailor therapy to patient needs.

6. Keeping Up With Cardiology: Old-School Learning Versus the Twittersphere

Physicians in 2018 turn to medical journals, meetings, online resources, face-to-face conversations, and Twitter—but not always in that order.

7. ESC 2018: Trimming DAPT, New NOAC Niches, Aspirin Scrutiny for Primary Prevention, and More

The ESC Congress headed back to Munich with more “late-breaking” trials than could be crammed in a Hofbräuhaus beer stein.

8. ‘Classic’ Takotsubo? Not So Fast: Different Presentations Could Spell Diverse Prognoses

Clinicians should recognize the various outcomes these patients may have depending on the stressor at play and tailor care accordingly, experts say.

9. MARINER Fails to Meet Primary Endpoint Testing Rivaroxaban for Extended VTE Thromboprophylaxis

Any hints of benefit on secondary endpoints are hypothesis-generating and need to be confirmed prospectively in separate trials.

10. New ESC/EACTS Revascularization Guidelines Make Room for Radial First, STICH, and DES for All

The latest guidelines involved input not just from interventional cardiologists, but also from “the entire team caring for patients with CAD.”