The FDA has approved alirocumab, an injectable cholesterol-lowering medication and the first commercially available proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitor. Alirocumab (Praluent, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi Aventis) is approved as an adjunct to diet and statins to treat patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) or patients with clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease who have not been able to lower their low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.

More than 70 percent of adults with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in 2013 took aspirin daily or every other day to reduce the risk for myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke and fatal coronary events, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report.

A systematic review of randomized, controlled trials and prospective cohort studies found little evidence to suggest older adults experience long-term cognitive decline following cardiovascular procedures. However, better evidence is needed.

The Cleveland Clinic and Boston Children’s Hospital are the top-ranked hospitals in the U.S. for adult and children cardiology and heart surgery, according to the U.S. News & World Report best hospital rankings released on July 21.

Who are the top performing surgeons in the U.S.? A pair of websites featured recently in the Washington Post attempt to answer the question by ranking surgeons receiving high marks and pointing out those with the most complications. 

Harlan Krumholz, MD, a cardiologist and professor at Yale University, reviews two JAMA studies published on July 14 that examined the ACC/AHA cholesterol guidelines. In an article for NPR, he writes that people should weigh the benefits and risks of statins before taking the medications.

Although hospitals are increasingly purchasing physician practices, more than 60 percent of doctors still worked in practices of 10 or fewer physicians in 2014, according to an American Medical Association (AMA) survey released on July 8. However, younger physicians were more likely to work for hospitals.

Since the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA) released guidelines for managing blood cholesterol in 2013, millions more people have become eligible to receive statin treatment. However, some physicians have criticized the changes and not followed them. A community-based cohort study published online in JAMA on July 14 may help ease their concerns.