Physicians often focus on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) to guide statin therapy for dyslipidemic patients. A growing body of evidence suggests that their patients would be better served if clinicians used LDL particle as a management tool for high-risk patients. 

So much for a short week. So far we have seen three acquisitions, an FDA approval and one litigation settlement. But let’s start with guidelines.

It may be time to re-evaluate the means and frequency of cardiovascular guideline updates, based on an analysis published online May 27 in JAMA that determined one in five Class 1 recommendations were later downgraded or omitted.

Mehdi Ali Qamar, a cardiologist from Ohio, was shot to death during a visit as a volunteer physician in Pakistan in what is described as part of a hate campaign, the New York Times reported. He was assisting at the Tahir Heart Institute.

The very nature of cardiovascular service lines has changed dramatically in the last several years, along with the changing environment in healthcare. I’m often charged with helping practices and healthcare organizations optimize their service lines. 

The FDA issued a Class I recall on an intra-aortic balloon pump due to a potential defect that may make it stop functioning. The pump provides temporary emergency support for cardiac events such as an MI or severe heart failure, or before heart surgery.

Even temporary changes to body mass index (BMI) over time affect risks for cardiovascular disease, according to an epidemiological study published May 21 in Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.

Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) and Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. (Daiichi Sankyo) today announced they have entered into a three-year comprehensive alliance to develop first-in-class therapeutics for the treatment of cardiovascular-metabolic diseases. The collaboration is built on an open-innovation model to bridge the gap between target discovery and pre-clinical drug development.