Treatment with mavacamten may improve left ventricular (LV) diastolic function, systolic anterior motion, and other important markers in the pathophysiology of obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), according to a secondary analysis of the EXPLORER-HCM trial published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Hospitals that adopt a strategy of avoiding high-risk PCI cases in an effort to improve performance metrics may not have improved metrics, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Consuming more than 7 grams (>1/2 tablespoon) of olive oil per day may be associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality, cancer mortality, neurodegenerative disease mortality and respiratory disease mortality, according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The study found that replacing about 10 grams/day of margarine, butter, mayonnaise and dairy fat with the equivalent amount of olive oil is associated with lower risk of mortality as well.

A study seeking to evaluate the frequency and nature of cost/value statements in contemporary heart failure (HF) clinical guidance documents found explicit inclusion of cost/value to support clinical guidance recommendations remains infrequent.

The findings, published in JACC: Heart Failure, reviewed 33 clinical guidance documents published by major professional societies between January 2010 and February 2021. The documents included appropriate use criteria (5), clinical practice guidelines (7) and expert consensus documents (21).

Results found that 27 of the 33 documents (82%) had at least one cost/value statement, while 20 (60%) included at least one cost/value-related citation. The study authors, led by John W. Ostrominski, MD, note that most of the cost/value statements were found in expert consensus documents.

Ostrominski and colleagues observed that patterns of inclusion of cost/value statements and citations have been largely stable. Of the 179 cost/value-related statements identified, 64.8% highlighted the economic impact of HF or HF-related care and 23.5% supported clinical guidance recommendations. However, only 3.4% advocated for cost/value issues and 8.4% reported gaps in cost/value evidence.

The authors note that although most contemporary HF contemporary guidance documents contain at least one cost/value statement, most focus on the high economic impact of HF and its related care. "These results highlight key opportunities for the integration of formalized cost/value considerations in future HF-focused clinical guidance documents," they write.

Ostrominski JW, Hirji S, Bhatt AS, et al. JACC Heart Fail 2022;10:1-11.