New research published in JAMA Network Open sought to examine whether outcomes for patients hospitalized with non-COVID-19 conditions but without concomitant SARS-CoV-2 infection were different before versus during the pandemic. The researchers compared patient hospitalizations between April 1, 2018, and September 30, 2019, with those from April 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021, in 235 acute care […]
While the COVID-19 vaccines can reduce the likelihood of people with COVID-19 requiring admission to an intensive care unit (ICU), little is known about the effect of these vaccines on outcomes in patients with critical illness. In a recently published study in Critical Care Medicine, researchers sought to examine how vaccination and booster status impact […]
Recently published in Circulation: Heart Failure, this secondary analysis of the VICTORIA trial emphasizes the importance of selecting high-risk patients with heart failure (HF) with potentially modifiable cardiovascular events in order to diversify and enrich the study population. The primary objective of the study was to evaluate changes to N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), a protein produced by […]
ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) occurs when a coronary artery is completely blocked, and it is the most dangerous and severe type of heart attack. The STREAM-2 (Strategic Reperfusion in Elderly Patients Early After Myocardial Infarction) study, recently published in Circulation, sought to determine if a pharmoco-invasive treatment with half-dose tenecteplase, a clot-busting drug used to prevent death in STEMI […]
In this secondary analysis of the VICTORIA trial published in Circulation: Heart Failure, researchers investigated if the primary composite outcome of cardiovascular death or heart failure (HF) hospitalization was related to variations in background use and dosing of guideline-directed medical therapy in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), a condition in which the heart is unable […]
Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) measures the heart’s ability to pump blood out of the left ventricle, and can help determine if a patient is at risk for heart failure (HF). Published in JACC: Heart Failure, this study evaluated the relationship of LVEF with biomarker levels (markers within the body measuring the presence of a […]
The current system for classifying patients with heart failure (HF) is dependent upon the confirmation of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), a measurement of the heart’s ability to pump blood from the left ventricle. While patients with HF can be identified through the use of electronic medical records, the data on LVEF is oftentimes unavailable. […]
Congratulations to Dr. Padma Kaul and her team on being awarded a Spring 2023 CIHR Project Grant for the Diabetes and Cancer Outcomes in a Real-world Setting (DISCOURSE) Study. Cancer is becoming the major cause of hospitalization and death among people with diabetes. Given that they may be at a higher risk of developing cancer, there […]
Although many severe outcomes associated with COVID-19 have lessened with each successive wave, a recent study reveals that there is a persistent increased risk for cardiovascular hospitalization, especially among younger men between the ages of 18 and 65. This retrospective cohort study utilized Ontario administrative health databases to analyze data from adults who had at least one […]
It is important to account for sex and gender in randomized clinical trials (RCTs), as these factors can directly impact how individuals experience health conditions and respond to treatment. Sex is defined by biological characteristics, such as hormones, gene expression, and anatomy, whereas gender is a construct based on the social, environmental, cultural, and behavioral […]
The Spring 2023 issue of the Canadian Cardiac Chronicle newsletter is now available! Highlights from this issue include: Read and subscribe to the newsletter here.
Current guidelines recommend quadruple therapy, consisting of four drugs: angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors (ARNis), sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2is), mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs), and beta blockers (BBs), for the management of patients with heart failure (HF) and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), a condition in which the heart is unable to pump out blood effectively. However, even before […]
Frailty is a state of reduced physiological capacity across multiple body systems that increases vulnerability and adverse health outcomes in older adults. While frailty is a known key contributing factor to morbidity and death in patients with heart failure (HF), the link between frailty and health status is not well understood in patients with HF […]
We are pleased to share the 2022 CVC Annual Report! The theme of this year’s report – Patient Centered. Data Driven. – illustrates the many ways that the CVC’s extensive body of research utilizes data to inform patient care and improve outcomes for those with cardiovascular disease. In a world where the volume, velocity, and variety of […]
A pharmaco-invasive strategy that halved the dose of tenecteplase in older ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients resulted in better reperfusion than primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Reperfusion was measured by electrocardiographic data in the ECG core laboratory at the Canadian VIGOUR Centre (CVC), University of Alberta (U of A), and is a key component of […]
CVC founding director Dr. Paul Armstrong and Dr. Jon Meddings (former dean of the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary) have published an op-ed in the Calgary Herald and Edmonton Journal about how a pandemic of misinformation threatens hard-earned lessons of Alberta’s health-care community. Read the full article here
The CVC is pleased to announce the addition of two new associate faculty members. Dr. David Collister is a nephrologist at the University of Alberta Hospital and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta. His research focuses on randomized controlled trials and prospective observational studies in chronic kidney disease and dialysis, precision medicine approaches to uremic […]
New research published in The Lancet Regional Health Americas found that adherence to diabetes screening guidelines is sub-optimal, especially among young males. Despite lower rates of adherence to screening, males have higher rates of prediabetes and diabetes compared to females. This paper is the first publications from them Real-world Evidence on the Association Between Diabetes […]
We are pleased to share the 2021 CVC annual report! This year’s theme, Global Vision ⟷ Local Action, highlights a variety of the CVC’s activities that have started at a global or national scale and have subsequently translated into local initiatives. The theme also reflects our organization’s aim to bring people from different places together in the […]
The SODIUM-HF trial was presented during the Late-Breaking Clinical Trial session at the American College of Cardiology in Washington, DC on April 02, 2022, and a simultaneously published in The Lancet Journal. The SODIUM-HF study examined the effects of a low-salt diet compared to usual dietary recommendations for people with heart failure. The trial took place […]
