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❤️ Cardiology News

ESC Congress, ACC, AHA, NEJM, JAMA, Lancet — landmark cardiology trials and FDA approvals, briefed for busy clinicians.
September 9, 2026  ·  ESC Congress 2026
Aficamten HCM
NEJM · Phase 3 RCT · Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Aficamten Is the First Drug to Benefit Patients With Nonobstructive HCM
The ACACIA-HCM trial randomized 517 patients with nonobstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy to aficamten or placebo. Aficamten improved peak VO₂ by +0.67 mL/kg/min (p=0.003) and KCCQ-CSS by +3.0 points (p=0.021) — the first randomized trial to show benefit in nonobstructive HCM, a population previously without approved treatment.
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 Tricuspid repair TEER
NEJM · RCT · Structural Heart
Transcatheter Tricuspid Repair More Than Doubles Survival Free of HF Hospitalization at 3 Years
TRIC-I-HF: win ratio 2.42 in 360 patients. Freedom from death/HF hospitalization 52.4% vs 21.0% at 3 years — the strongest evidence to date for tricuspid TEER in severe TR.
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 AFib ablation sham
Lancet · RCT · Electrophysiology
AFib Ablation Reduces Arrhythmia Recurrence But Not Quality of Life vs Sham
PVI-SHAM-AF: the first sham-controlled AFib ablation trial. Ablation significantly reduced arrhythmia recurrence but failed to improve AF-related quality of life vs sham — questioning what benefit ablation actually delivers.
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 DOAC TAVR anticoagulation
ESC 2026 · RCT · Structural Heart
NOTION-4: Short-Course DOAC After TAVR Clears Leaflet Thrombosis Early — Benefit Disappears by 12 Months
3-month DOAC then lifelong SAPT vs SAPT alone in 352 TAVR patients: HALT significantly reduced at 3 months but converged at 12 months once DOAC was stopped — questioning durability of short anticoagulation post-TAVR.
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 Statins older adults prevention
NEJM · RCT · Primary Prevention
STAREE: Atorvastatin Misses Primary Endpoint in Adults ≥70 — But Cuts MACE by 30%
9,971 adults ≥70 without CVD randomized to atorvastatin 40mg vs placebo. Primary endpoint (disability-free survival) not met. Secondary MACE: HR ~0.70. More muscle, liver, and diabetes events on atorvastatin.
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August 2026
ATTR cardiac amyloid CMR
JAMA Cardiology · Cohort Study with CMR
Vutrisiran Reverses Cardiac Amyloid Deposition — CMR Confirms It with Direct Imaging
Cardiac MRI in hereditary ATTR-CM patients on vutrisiran shows measurable reductions in ECV fraction and LV mass — the first direct imaging evidence that an RNA-targeted therapy can reverse amyloid deposition in the heart.
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 Heart failure definition
Circulation · JAMA · Consensus Statement
Heart Failure Finally Has a Single Global Definition. Here Is What Changed.
A 2026 universal consensus statement harmonizes EF cutpoints, adds NT-proBNP as a required biomarker criterion, and resolves the HFmrEF classification debate across ACC, ESC, and Heart Failure Society of America.
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 CKM syndrome guideline
JACC · JAMA Medical News · Guideline
The First CKM Syndrome Guideline Is Here. It Changes How You Treat Three Diseases at Once.
The 2026 AHA/ACC CKM Syndrome Guideline introduces a 4-stage risk framework integrating cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic disease — redefining primary prevention and treatment sequencing across all three conditions.
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 Olezarsen hypertriglyceridemia
JAMA Medical News · FDA Approval
FDA Clears Olezarsen — First Drug to Prevent Pancreatitis in Severe Hypertriglyceridemia
Olezarsen (Tryngolza), a once-monthly antisense oligonucleotide targeting APOC3, reduced triglycerides by 49–72% in the CORE trials — the first drug approved specifically to prevent pancreatitis in severe hypertriglyceridemia.
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 Stair climbing cardiovascular mortality
Cardiovascular Research · UK Biobank · Meta-Analysis
Climbing Stairs Daily Cuts Cardiovascular Death Risk by 39% in 480,000-Person Study
A 2026 meta-analysis of 480,000+ participants found regular stair climbers have 39% lower cardiovascular mortality — providing precise effect estimates for one of the world's most accessible physical activities.
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 Statin deprescribing elderly
Lancet Healthy Longevity · RCT
Stopping Statins at 75 Didn't Increase Deaths in Healthy Adults — Non-Inferiority Confirmed
A randomized non-inferiority trial of 1,160 French primary-prevention patients found discontinuing statins at age 75+ did not increase all-cause mortality at 3 years compared to continuation.
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Prior Evidence  ·  Landmark Cardiology Trials
Beta blockers MI REDUCE-AMI
NEJM · RCT · Post-MI Care
After a Heart Attack With Normal EF, Beta-Blockers Don't Prevent the Next One
The REDUCE-AMI trial found that routine metoprolol succinate after MI with preserved EF added nothing to modern revascularization — upending one of cardiology's oldest reflexes.
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 Semaglutide HFpEF obesity
NEJM · Phase 3 RCT · HFpEF
Semaglutide Relieves Heart Failure Symptoms in HFpEF With Obesity — STEP-HFpEF
The STEP-HFpEF trial showed semaglutide 2.4mg improved exercise capacity, quality of life, and CRP in HFpEF patients with obesity — the first meaningful pharmacologic signal in a disease that defeated every prior trial.
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 Bempedoic acid CLEAR cholesterol
NEJM · Phase 3 RCT · Lipid Management
Bempedoic Acid Reduces Cardiac Events in Statin-Intolerant Patients — CLEAR OUTCOMES
The CLEAR OUTCOMES trial showed bempedoic acid reduced 4-MACE by 13% in 13,970 statin-intolerant patients — finally giving this population an oral LDL-lowering option with hard endpoint data.
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