The ACC held its fourth LDL: Address the Risk Think Tank on Sept. 11, building upon the knowledge and research discussed in previous roundtables, as well as the tools and resources created after each meeting. The Think Tank continued the Heart House Roundtables tradition of exploring the practical issues that clinicians and patients face within high-value clinical areas.

The first LDL: Address the Risk Think Tank kicked off in 2013 with the goal of improving patient care by driving awareness of gaps in lipid management. With the emergence of LDL-lowering therapies, the next two Think Tanks subsequently addressed questions surrounding the incorporation of non-statin therapies into treatment strategies. This year's Think Tank focused on optimizing the LDL-lowering therapies in high-risk patient groups.

The Think Tank kicked off with opening remarks from ACC Science and Quality Committee Chair Richard J. Kovacs, MD, FACC. "We have entered a new and exciting era in lipid management," said Kovacs. "As we engage in discussions today, I hope we can come away with innovative ways we can continue to all work together to meet the needs of clinicians and – more importantly – improve patient outcomes." Salim S. Virani, MD, PhD, FACC, discussed in the keynote address the substantial gaps in care for high-risk patients and the barriers to implementing evidence-based guidelines.

Throughout the day, participants explored evidence on treatment options and gaps in care among three high-risk patient populations, including patients with very high LDL ≥ 190, diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Discussions addressed how to ensure patients are prescribed the appropriate therapies to achieve optimal response to sufficiently reduce risk. With the release of the new clinical trial data, there is now a stronger evidence base supporting longer-term efficacy and safety of PSCK9 inhibitors in secondary prevention of ASCVD in high-risk patients. As clinicians work to incorporate new treatment options into practice, attendees also discussed how to identify patients for more aggressive therapies and address undertreated patients.

The discussions and multidisciplinary insights coming out of this year's Think Tank will be used to inform outputs and further develop resources to help health care providers navigate this landscape. For more resources and information on this topic., visit ACC.org/LDL.

The LDL: Address the Risk program is supported by Amgen. Additional support for the 2017 LDL: Address the Risk Think Tank was provided by Esperion and Sanofi Regeneron.

Keywords: Dyslipidemias, Patient Care, Diabetes Mellitus, Lipids, Cardiovascular Diseases

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