TCTMD’s Top 10 Most Popular Stories for January 2024

January’s mix of stories include everything from the disappointment over Medicare reimbursement cuts in the United States to patients satisfied at being able to eat or drink right up to the time of their coronary interventions—as studied in a small, randomized trial. Several stories of structural heart interventions make the list, but so too did stories of direct oral anticoagulants and P2Y12 inhibitors. Standing out from the pack was a story addressing the steady rise in the number of sudden cardiac deaths due to substance abuse.

1. Doctors Disappointed as Medicare Cuts Go Into Effect

In what has become an annual source of frustration, efforts by professional groups failed to eliminate the planned 3.37% cut for physician reimbursement that went into effect earlier this month.

2. Steady Rise in CVD Deaths Linked to Substance Abuse, US Data Show

As a new study has documented, no demographic was immune to CV deaths tied to alcohol, opioids, and other drugs over the last two decades.

3. Going Solo: Can TAVI Be Performed Without a Surgical Safety Net?

Proponents of eliminating on-site surgery during TAVI procedures say it will increase access. Others worry that doing so would cost patient lives.

4. No Fasting Before PCI? Study Shows No Harm—and Happier Patients

This is the latest study to show that NPO before a cardiac catheterization is an outdated practice with no benefits.

5. No Benefit to P2Y12 Inhibitor Pretreatment in STEMI, Bern-PCI Data Confirm

The latest analysis compares patient outcomes before and after guidelines changed. Again, a simpler approach won out.

6. Many PFO Closure Patients May Be Treated Off-label

Off-label abuse is not limited to PFO closure, but the proportion of devices implanted without documented findings of the FDA-approved indication raises questions, say investigators.

7. DOAC Don’ts: New Review Clarifies When Not to Use Direct Oral Anticoagulants

There are scenarios where the agents may be harmful, and others where more evidence is urgently needed. A new document helps navigate these decisions.

8. Less Is More: Lp(a) Much More Atherogenic Than LDL

A UK Biobank analysis confirms that LDL is more abundant and drives most ASCVD risk, but Lp(a) carries a powerful punch.

9. Socioeconomics Mire Access to All AVR Options for Aortic Stenosis

Rates of TAVI and SAVR, but not CABG, are disproportionately low in zip codes with a high area deprivation index.

10. Lower Mortality With M-TEER vs Surgery, but Devil Is in the Details

A deep dive into a French study shows the benefits of mitral TEER were seen in older, sicker patients who were at high risk for surgery.