Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring

Adults with a coronary artery calcium score greater than 300 are at an equivalent risk for major CV events as treated patients with established atherosclerotic CVD, supporting the use of high-dose statins in this population, data show.

Automatic calcium scoring with nongated chest CT was prognostic of major adverse and cardiotoxicity-related CV events in patients with large B-cell lymphoma undergoing anthracycline-based chemotherapy, researchers reported.

A novel agent demonstrated a dose-dependent relationship with lectin-like oxidized LDL receptor-1 suppression, a mechanism to lower inflammatory and lipid risk, and was well tolerated in a small study of patients with type 2 diabetes.

In symptomatic patients, coronary artery calcium score combined with cystatin C level can provide more accurate risk stratification for major adverse CV events and all-cause death than either measure alone, researchers reported.

In suspected obstructive CAD, clinical models with risk factors and a coronary artery calcium score identified up to 3.5 times more patients who may not benefit from further diagnostic testing vs. a basic pretest probability model.

The American Heart Association updated its “Life’s Simple 7” measurement tool for cardiovascular health to “Life’s Essential 8,” which now includes sleep health metrics.

PHILADELPHIA — Coronary artery calcium scoring is a helpful tool in patients aged 40 years or older whom a decision to start therapy for primary CVD prevention is not obvious, a speaker said at the Heart in Diabetes CME conference.

WASHINGTON — A higher coronary artery calcium burden may predict incident sudden cardiac death independent of other atherosclerotic CVD risk factors, particularly for primary prevention patients, researchers reported.

Discovery of coronary artery calcium in patients with non-small cell lung cancer undergoing thoracic radiation was associated with elevated risk for MI and stroke, even when found in small amounts, researchers reported.

The American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology recently released the first chest pain guideline written under their purview.