This Week in Cardiology

Listener feedback on valvular heart disease, statins and frailty, left atrial posterior wall ablation fails again, interpreting medical tests and AI ECG reading are the topics John Mandrola, MD, discusses in this week's podcast.
This podcast is intended for healthcare professionals only.
To read a partial transcript or to comment, visit:
https://www.medscape.com/twic
I Listener Feedback
PREVUE-VALVE Study https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2026.02.5137
II Statins and Frailty
Statin Initiation Tied to Lower Frailty Risk in Older Adults https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/statin-initiation-tied-lower-frailty-risk-older-adults-2026a1000lec
Statins and Survival Free of Incident Frailty  https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehag451
III LA Posterior Wall Isolation Fails Again
CORNERSTONE Trial https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehag486
CAPLA Trial https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2800186
IV Does the Display of Test Results Improve Clinical Decisions?
Interval Likelihood Ratios for Clinical Decsion-Making https://evidence.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/EVIDoa2500249
Making Sense of Health Statistics https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1539-6053.2008.00033.x
V AI and the ECG and Saving Doctors
Case Report — AI-Enhanced Diagnostics https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04454-y
The New York Times article https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/22/health/artificial-intelligence-heart-damage.html
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Listener feedback, more long-term data on the TAVR/SAVR question, population prevalence of valvular heart disease in the US, and a CMS proposal to expand TAVR coverage are the topics John Mandrola, MD, discusses in this week's podcast.
This podcast is intended for healthcare professionals only.
To read a partial transcript or to comment, visit:
https://www.medscape.com/twic
I Listener Feedback
ICD Trends and Outcomes: 15-Year Analysis https://doi.org/10.1093/europace/euag110
MADIT-RIT https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1211107
II More Long Term Data on TAVR vs SAVR
PARTNER 2 Trial https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2026.03.169
10-Year Outcomes of SAPIEN 3 TAVR or SAVR in Intermediate-Risk Patients https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2026.03.170
TAVR at a Decade: Editorial https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2026.04.042
EVOLUT Trial https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2026.02.5063
Updated 5-year Outcomes of TAVR vs SAVR in AS https://heart.bmj.com/content/early/2026/02/11/heartjnl-2025-327092
NOTION Trial https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehae043
PARTNER 3 Trial https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2509766
NOTION 2 Trial https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/45/37/3804/7673297
TAVR vs SAVR Editorial : https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/eurheartj/ehag407/8708044
III The PREVUE-VALVE Study
PREVUE-VALVE Study https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2026.02.5137
IV CMS has Proposed New Coverage for TAVR
CMS Proposal Document https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx?proposed=Y&ncaId=321
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Listener feedback, transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement, a new metabolic disease called CKM, the ARISE-FLUIDS Trial, the BIHCA trial, and temporal trends in ICD therapies are the topics John Mandrola, MD, discusses in this week's podcast.
This podcast is intended for healthcare professionals only.
To read a partial transcript or to comment, visit:
https://www.medscape.com/twic
I Listener Feedback
LOSE-AF Trial https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2849335
ARREST-AF Trial https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamacardiology/fullarticle/2840225
POP-AF Trial https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf689
PRAGUE-25 Trial https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2025.04.042
II Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Replacement
TRISCEND Cost Study https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shj.2026.101049
TRISCEND II Trial https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2401918
III More Disease Creation – the CKM Syndrome
ACC/AHA Release First-Ever Guideline for CKM Syndrome https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/acc-aha-release-first-ever-guideline-ckm-syndrome-2026a1000jbs
CKM Guideline in Circulation https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001447
IV Two Trials That Teach Important EBM Lessons
ARISE-FLUIDS Trial https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2516225
Dr Josh Farkas Post on X https://x.com/PulmCrit/status/2065064796270022845?s=20
 
V  Bicarbonate for Inpatient Cardiac Arrest –The BIHCA trial
BIHCA Trial https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2850405
VI The Decline of VT in Heart Failure
Trends and Outcomes in ICD Recipients: 15-Year Analysis https://doi.org/10.1093/europace/euag110
Declining Risk of Sudden Death in HF https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1609758
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Chemical cardioversion in the ED, HF monitoring, weight loss in AF, and surgical LAA excision are the topics John Mandrola, MD, discusses in this week's podcast.
This podcast is intended for healthcare professionals only.
To read a partial transcript or to comment, visit:
https://www.medscape.com/twic
I Chemical Cardioversion of AF in the ED: The FLECA-ED Trial
FLECA-ED Rationale paper https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10299428/
FLECA-ED ESC Slides https://esc365.escardio.org/presentation/321209
Review on Flecainide Use Despite CAST https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrthm.2025.08.034
RACE 7 ACWAS Trial https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1900353
II Heart Failure Monitoring – The ALLEVIATE-HF Trial
ALLEVIATE-HF Trial https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2026.03.075
CHAMPION Trial https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60101-3
GUIDE HF Trial https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01754-2
ALLEVIATE-HF Editorial: Alerts Are Not Treatment https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2026.04.014
Steve Stiles Medscape report on CHAMPION https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/755189
III A Negative Weight Loss Study in AF
LOSE-AF Trial https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2849335
IV Surgical LAA Excision
OPINION Trial https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf674
LAAOS 3 trial https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2101897
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A life-long treatment for high LDL, a VESALIUS subanalysis, tirzepatide beats semaglutide again, arrhythmia burden in cardiac amyloidosis, and a lipid guideline rebuttal are the topics John Mandrola, MD, discusses in this week's podcast.
This podcast is intended for healthcare professionals only. To read a partial transcript or to comment, visit:
https://www.medscape.com/twic
I Permanent Lipid Lowering therapy
Verve 102 Therapy for FH https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2601283
II Vesalius Substudy on PCSK9i Use in Patients With Previous PCI
VESALIUS Subgroup Analysis https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.126.080616
VESALIUS Study - NEJM https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2514428
III Tirzepatide looking to be best again
SURPASS-EARLY Trial https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-25-05602
SURMOUNT-5 Trial https://www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1056/NEJMoa2416394
IV Arrhythmias in Cardiac Amyloidosis
Loop Recorders Reveal Arrhythmias in Cardiac Amyloidosis https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/loop-recorders-reveal-arrhythmias-cardiac-amyloidosis-2026a1000gq9
EXCALIBUR Study https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2026.04.030
V Lipid Guidelines
·       In Defense of the 2026 Dyslipidemia Guideline https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/defense-2026-dyslipidemia-guideline-2026a1000hd0
Lipid Guidelines: Four Major Concerns https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/lipid-guidelines-four-major-concerns-2026a1000fim
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