Clinical cardiology
-
Clinical cardiology · Jan 2018
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyEffect of Vascepa (icosapent ethyl) on progression of coronary atherosclerosis in patients with elevated triglycerides (200-499 mg/dL) on statin therapy: Rationale and design of the EVAPORATE study.
Despite reducing progression and promoting regression of coronary atherosclerosis, statin therapy does not fully address residual cardiovascular (CV) risk. High-purity eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) added to a statin has been shown to reduce CV events and induce regression of coronary atherosclerosis in imaging studies; however, data are from Japanese populations without high triglyceride (TG) levels and baseline EPA serum levels greater than those in North American populations. Icosapent ethyl is a high-purity prescription EPA ethyl ester approved at 4 g/d as an adjunct to diet to reduce TG levels in adults with TG levels >499 mg/dL. ⋯ Approximately 80 patients will be followed for 9 to 18 months. The clinical implications of icosapent ethyl 4 g/d treatment added to statin therapy on CV endpoints are being evaluated in the large CV outcomes study REDUCE-IT. EVAPORATE will provide important imaging-derived data that may add relevance to the clinically derived outcomes from REDUCE-IT.
-
Clinical cardiology · Jan 2018
Observational StudyLong-term prognostic value of combined free triiodothyronine and late gadolinium enhancement in nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy.
Thyroid dysfunction and myocardial fibrosis are both associated with cardiovascular events in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). ⋯ The findings suggest that the combination of FT3 and LGE yielded a more accurate predictive value for long-term prognosis in patients with DCM, which may improve patient selection for intensive interventions.