Cardionerds: A Cardiology Podcast

The following question refers to Sections 3.3-3.4 of the 2021 ESC CV Prevention Guidelines. The question is asked by student Dr. Adriana Mares, answered first by early career preventive cardiologist Dr. Dipika Gopal, and then by expert faculty Dr. Allison Bailey. Dr. Bailey is a cardiologist at Centennial Heart. She is the editor-in-chief of the American College of Cardiology's Extended Learning (ACCEL) editorial board and was a member of the writing group for the 2018 American Lipid Guidelines. The CardioNerds Decipher The Guidelines Series for the 2021 ESC CV Prevention Guidelines represents a collaboration with the ACC Prevention of CVD Section, the National Lipid Association, and Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association. Question #14 Ms. Soya M. Alone is a 70-year-old woman of Bangladeshi ethnicity with a history of anxiety and depression. She currently lives at home by herself, does not have many friends and family that live nearby, and has had a tough year emotionally after the passing of her husband. She spends most of her time in bed with low daily physical activity and has experienced more weakness and exhaustion over the past year along with loss of muscle mass. Which of the following are potential risk modifiers in this patient when considering her risk for CVD?A. Bangladeshi ethnicity B. Psychosocial factorsC. Frailty D. History of anxiety and depressionE. All of the above Answer #14 The correct answer is E – All of the above.Traditional 10-year CVD risk scores do not perform adequately in all ethnicities. Therefore, multiplication of calculated risk by relative risk for specific ethnic subgroups should be considered (Class IIa, LOE B). Individuals from South Asia have higher CVD rates. The ESC guidelines recommend using a correction factor by multiplying the predicted risk by 1.3 for Indians and Bangladeshis, and 1.7 for Pakistanis. These correction factors are derived from data from QRISK3. In the UK, the QRISK calculator algorithm has been derived and validated in 2.3 million people to estimate CVD risk in different ethnic groups and unlike other calculators, it counts South Asian origins as an additional risk factor. The reasons for such differences remain inadequately studied, as do the risks associated with other ethnic backgrounds. Barriers to developing accurate risk prediction tools include the wide heterogeneity amongst the population.The 2019 ACC/AHA guidelines also list high-risk race/ethnicities such as South Asian ancestry as a risk-enhancing factor. However, there is no separate pooled cohort equation for different ethnicities, and consideration should be given that the pooled cohort equations will underestimate ASCVD risk in South Asians.Psychosocial stress including loneliness and critical life events are associated, in a dose-response pattern, with the development and progression of ASCVD, with relative risks between 1.2 and 2.0. Conversely, indicators of mental health, such as optimism and a strong sense of purpose, are associated with lower risk. While there is not a specific way proposed by the guidelines for psychosocial factors to improve risk classification, it is important to screen patients with ASCVD for psychological stress, and clinicians should attend to somatic and emotional causes of symptoms as well. The ESC guidelines give a Class IIa (LOE B) recommendation for assessment of stress symptoms and psychosocial stressors.This patient should also be formally screened for frailty, which is not the same as aging but includes factors such as slowness, weakness, low physical activity, exhaustion and shrinking, and makes her more vulnerable to the effect of stressors and is a risk factor for both high CV and non-CV morbidity and mortality. However, the ability of frailty measures to improve CVD risk prediction has not been formally assessed, so the guidelines do not recommend integrating it into formal CVD risk assessment. Frailty may however,

The following question refers to Section 6.2 of the 2021 ESC CV Prevention Guidelines. The question is asked by Dr. Christian Faaborg-Andersen, answered first by Houston Methodist medicine resident Dr. Najah Khan, and then by expert faculty Dr. Jaideep Patel. Dr. Patel recently graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University cardiology fellowship and is now a preventive cardiologist at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. The CardioNerds Decipher The Guidelines Series for the 2021 ESC CV Prevention Guidelines represents a collaboration with the ACC Prevention of CVD Section, the National Lipid Association, and Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association. Question #18 A 60-year-old Black woman with a history of hypertension and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (EF 40%) presents to clinic for follow-up. She is currently doing well with NYHA class II symptoms. She is taking carvedilol 25 mg BID, sacubitril/valsartan 97/103 mg BID, and spironolactone 25 mg daily, all of which have been well tolerated. In clinic, her BP is 125/80 mmHg, and her HR is 55 bpm. Routine labs are within normal limits including Cr of 1.0, K of 4.0, and HbA1c of 6.0. What is the most appropriate next step in her management? A. No change in management B. Reduce beta blocker C. Add an SGLT2 inhibitor (dapagliflozin or empagliflozin) D. Add vericiguat E. Add hydralazine/isosorbide dinitrate Answer #18 The correct answer is C – Add an SGLT2 inhibitor (dapagliflozin or empagliflozin) For patients with symptomatic HFrEF, neurohormonal antagonists (ACEi, ARB, ARNI; BB; MRA) improve survival and reduce the risk of HF hospitalization. This patient is already on these agents. The addition of an SGLT2 inhibitor on top of neurohormonal blockade reduces the risk of CV death and worsening HF in patients with symptomatic HFrEF and is the next best step for this patient (Class I, LOE A). Vericiguat may be considered in patients with symptomatic HFrEF with HF worsening despite already being on maximally tolerated neurohormonal blockade (Class IIb, LOE B), but first-line therapies should be started first. Hydralazine/Isosorbide dinitrate should be considered in self-identified Black patients or people who have EF ≤ 35% or <45% with dilated LV with class III-IV symptoms despite maximally tolerated neurohormonal blockade (Class IIa, LOE B), but is not the next best step here. She is tolerating the beta blocker without adverse effects so there is no reason to decrease the dosage. Main Takeaway In patients with symptomatic HFrEF (EF ≤ 40%), SGLT2 inhibitors are considered first line therapy in addition to ACE-I/ARB/ARNI, BB, and MRAs to reduce the risk of HF hospitalization and death. Importantly this is irrespective of presence of diabetes. Guideline Location Section 6.2, page 3295-3296 Figure 13 page 3278; recommendation table page 3279. CardioNerds Decipher the Guidelines - 2021 ESC Prevention Series CardioNerds Episode Page CardioNerds Academy Cardionerds Healy Honor Roll CardioNerds Journal Club Subscribe to The Heartbeat Newsletter! Check out CardioNerds SWAG! Become a CardioNerds Patron!

It’s another session of CardioNerds Rounds! In these rounds, Dr. Jenna Skowronski (Chief FIT at University of Pittsburgh) and Dr. Natalie Stokes (Formerly FIT at University of Pittsburgh and now General Cardiology Faculty at University of Pittsburgh) join transformational leader, educator and researcher, Dr. Mary Norine Walsh (Director of Heart Failure and Transplantation at Ascension St. Vincent Heart Center and Program Director of AHFT at St. Vincent) to discuss cardio-obstetrics and heart failure cases. Amongst her many accomplishments, Dr. Walsh is past president of the American College of Cardiology, Deputy Editor of JACC Case Reports, and a preeminent voice and thought leader in women’s cardiovascular health. Audio editing by CardioNerds academy intern, Pace Wetstein. This episode is supported with unrestricted funding from Zoll LifeVest. A special thank you to Mitzy Applegate and Ivan Chevere for their production skills that help make CardioNerds Rounds such an amazing success. All CardioNerds content is planned, produced, and reviewed solely by CardioNerds. Case details are altered to protect patient health information. CardioNerds Rounds is co-chaired by Dr. Karan Desai and Dr. Natalie Stokes. CardioNerds Rounds PageCardioNerds Episode PageCardioNerds AcademyCardionerds Healy Honor Roll CardioNerds Journal ClubSubscribe to The Heartbeat Newsletter!Check out CardioNerds SWAG!Become a CardioNerds Patron! Show notes - Cardio-Obstetrics and Heart Failure Case 1 Synopsis: A woman in her earlier 30s, G1P1, with a history significant for peripartum cardiomyopathy presents to clinic for pre-conception counseling. Her prior pregnancy was in her late 20s with an uneventful pre-natal course and a spontaneous vaginal delivery at 37w2d. Two weeks after delivery, she experienced symptoms of heart failure and was found to have a new diagnosis of HFrEF. At that time TTE showed LVEF 30-35%, LVIDd 5.1cm (top normal size), diffuse hypokinesis. At that time, she was diuresed and discharged on metoprolol succinate 25mg po daily and furosemide 20mg po daily. She had one follow up visit 6 months postpartum and the furosemide was discontinued. Today in your office, she has NYHA Class I symptoms with no signs of symptoms of congestion. She walks daily and does vigorous exercise 1-2 times per week, while remaining on metoprolol. Repeat TTE with LVEF 45-50% and similar LV size. She would like to have another child and was referred to you for counseling. Case 1 Rounding Pearls: Dr. Walsh discussed extensively the importance of full GDMT in this patient who was initially undertreated with only a beta blocker. If patients are breastfeeding, clinicians should consider the addition of ACE-Inhibitor and Spironolactone. Otherwise, if not breastfeeding, they should receive maximally tolerated doses of full GDMT. For more details on medical therapy for Heart Failure during pregnancy and after, refer to this previous CardioNerds Episode with Dr. Julie Damp. Patients with peripartum cardiomyopathy are at highest risk of worsening LV systolic function when they have persistent LV systolic dysfunction from their initial diagnosis. In this circumstance, shared decision making is paramount. These patients should receive counseling on contraception and risk of pregnancy on worsening LV function, death, & fetal demise. In addition, counseling includes discussing with patients limited options in some states for complete, comprehensive reproductive care, including pregnancy termination. If patients with prior peripartum cardiomyopathy do become pregnant, a team-based approach including cardiologists, maternal fetal medicine, and obstetrics (amongst other team members) is essential to determine care & delivery timing/method. These patients should also be examined for signs of decompensation throughout the pregnancy, including rales, S3 or a reported history of PND.

The following question refers to Section 3.2 of the 2021 ESC CV Prevention Guidelines. The question is asked by student Dr. Hirsh Elhence, answered first by Mayo Clinic Fellow Dr. Teodora Donisan, and then by expert faculty Dr. Eugene Yang. Dr. Yang is professor of medicine of the University of Washington where he is medical director of the Eastside Specialty Center and the co-Director of the Cardiovascular Wellness and Prevention Program. Dr. Yang is former Governor of the ACC Washington Chapter and current chair of the ACC Prevention of CVD Section. The CardioNerds Decipher The Guidelines Series for the 2021 ESC CV Prevention Guidelines represents a collaboration with the ACC Prevention of CVD Section, the National Lipid Association, and Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association. Question #13 You are seeing a 45-year-old woman with a past medical history of hypertension, overweight status, hyperlipidemia, and active tobacco use disorder. Her BMI is 27 kg/m2, BP is 150/75, HbA1C is 5.8%, total cholesterol is 234 mg/dL, HDL is 59 mg/dL, and LDL is 155 mg/dL. She is from Romania, a country with very high CVD risk. Which of the following statements is CORRECT? A. LDL-C needs to be decreased by at least 50%, as small absolute LDL-C reductions would not provide clinical benefit B. Hypertension is not an important CVD risk factor in our patient, as she is young. C. Prediabetes is not a significant CV risk factor for our patient, as she is not yet diabetic. D. Smoking confers a higher CVD risk for women than for men. E. Her weight does not increase her CVD risk, as she is overweight rather than obese Answer #13 The correct answer is D – Smoking confers a higher CVD risk for women than for men. Prolonged smoking increases the CVD risk more in women than in men. Our patient is 45 years old. CVD risk in smokers < 50 years-old is 5x higher than in non-smokers. Of note, smoking is responsible for 50% of all avoidable deaths in smokers and a lifetime smoker will lose 10 years of life, on average. Secondhand smoke and smokeless tobacco can also increase the CVD risk. Option A is incorrect. The SCORE2 risk chart for populations at very high CVD risk places her at a 14% (very high) 10-year risk for myocardial infarction, stroke, or cardiovascular death. She would derive benefit even from incremental reductions in LDL-C values. The absolute benefit of lowering LDL-C depends on both the absolute risk of ASCVD and the absolute reduction in LDL-C, so even a small absolute reduction in LDL-C may be beneficial in high- or very-high-risk patients. Furthermore, the reduction in CVD risk is proportional to the decrease in LDL-C, irrespective of the medications used to achieve such change. This remains true even when lowering LDL-C values to < 55 mg/dl. Option B is incorrect. Hypertension is a major cause of CVD regardless of age, and the risk of death from either CAD or stroke increases linearly from BP levels as low as 90 mmHg systolic and 75 mmHg diastolic upwards. Particularly relevant for our patient, lifetime BP evolution differs in women compared to men, potentially resulting in an increased CVD risk at lower BP thresholds. Option C is incorrect. Type 1 DM, type 2 DM, and prediabetes are all independent risk factors for ASCVD. Of note, it would be important to address this risk factor with our patient, as women who develop type 2 diabetes have a particularly high risk for stroke. Option E is incorrect. All-cause mortality is lowest at a BMI on 20-25 kg/m2 in apparently healthy patients. Even overweight patients are at increased CVD risk. There is a linear relationship between BMI and mortality in non-smokers and a J-shaped relationship in ever-smokers. In patients with heart failure, a lower mortality risk has been observed with higher BMI – the “obesity paradox.” It would be important to evaluate the waist circumference in our patient, as both BMI and waist circumference are associated with ASCVD risk.

CardioNerds Rounds Co-Chairs, Dr. Karan Desai and Dr. Natalie Stokes and CardioNerds Academy Fellow, Dr. Najah Khan, join Dr. Martha Gulati – President-Elect of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology (ASPC) and prior Chief of Cardiology and Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona – to discuss challenging cases in cardiac prevention. As an author on numerous papers regarding cardiac prevention and women’s health, Dr. Gulati provides many prevention pearls to help guide patient care. Come round with us today by listening to the episodes now and joining future sessions of #CardsRounds! This episode is supported with unrestricted funding from Zoll LifeVest. A special thank you to Mitzy Applegate and Ivan Chevere for their production skills that help make CardioNerds Rounds such an amazing success. All CardioNerds content is planned, produced, and reviewed solely by CardioNerds. Case details are altered to protect patient health information. CardioNerds Rounds is co-chaired by Dr. Karan Desai and Dr. Natalie Stokes. Speaker disclosures: None Cases discussed and Show Notes • References • Production Team CardioNerds Rounds PageCardioNerds Episode PageCardioNerds AcademyCardionerds Healy Honor Roll CardioNerds Journal ClubSubscribe to The Heartbeat Newsletter!Check out CardioNerds SWAG!Become a CardioNerds Patron! Show notes - CardioNerds Rounds: Challenging Cases of Cardiovascular Prevention with Dr. Martha Gulati Case #1 Synopsis: A 55-year-old South Asian woman presents to prevention clinic for an evaluation of an elevated LDL-C. Her prior history includes hyperlipidemia, hypertension, obesity, and pre-eclampsia. She was told she had “high cholesterol” a few years prior and would need medication. She started exercising regularly and cut out sweets from her diet. Before clinic, labs showed: Total Cholesterol (mg/dL) of 320, HDL 45, Triglycerides 175, and (directly measured) LCL-C 180. Her Lipoprotein(a) is 90 mg/dL (ULN being ~ 30 mg/dL). Her HbA1C is 5.2% and her 10-year ASCVD Risk (by the Pooled Cohorts Equation) is 5.4%. Her recent CAC score was 110. She prefers not to be on medication and seeks a second opinion. Takeaways from Case #1 As Dr. Gulati notes, in the 2019 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, South Asian ethnicity is considered a “risk enhancing factor.” The pooled cohort equations (PCE) may underestimate risk in South Asians. Furthermore, risk varies within different South Asian populations, with the risk for cardiovascular events seemingly higher in those individuals of Bangladeshi versus Pakistani or Indian origin. There are multiple hypotheses for why this may be the case including cultural aspects, such as diet, physical activity, and tobacco use. A better understanding of these factors could inform targeted preventive measures.In the same 2019 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease mentioned above, history of an adverse pregnancy outcome (APO) increases later ASCVD risk (e.g., preeclampsia) and is also included as a “risk-enhancing factor.” Studies have shown that preeclampsia is an independent risk factor for developing early onset coronary artery calcification. Recent data has shown that the risk for developing preeclampsia is not the same across race and ethnicity, with Black women more likely to develop preeclampsia. Black women also had the highest rates of peripartum cardiomyopathy, heart failure, and acute renal failure. After adjustment for socioeconomic factors and co-morbidities, preeclampsia was associated with increased risk of CVD events in all women, the risk was highest among Asian and Pacific Islander women. Listen to Episode #174. Black Maternal Health with Dr. Rachel Bond to learn more about race-based disparities in cardio-obstetric care and outcomes.Our patient thus has multiple risk-enhancing factors to help in shared decision making and personalize her decision...