Heart Matters

Host: Ty J. Gluckman, MD, MHA, FACC, FAHA, FASPC Host: Rishi Wadhera, MD, MPP, Mphil This on-demand knowledge primer explores key challenges and evidence-based strategies for improving atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) management in rural populations. Led by two expert faculty members, the program provides a comprehensive overview of disparities in ASCVD care, guideline-directed therapies, and practical approaches to overcoming barriers in rural settings. Participants will gain essential knowledge to enhance patient outcomes and optimize cardiovascular care in underserved communities.

Host: Saurabh Malhotra, MD, MPH Guest: Kevin Alexander, MD Guest: Tawfiq Al-lahham, MD Guest: Sarah Cuddy, MD Guest: Angela Dispenzieri, MD Guest: Anita D'Souza, MD Guest: Foluso Fakorede, MD Guest: Mazen Hanna, MD Guest: Isabelle Lousada Guest: Ahmad Masri, MD, MS Guest: Mathew S. Maurer, MD Guest: Matthew Parker, MD Guest: Frederick Ruberg, MD Guest: Andrew Staron, MD Guest: Prem Soman, MD, PhD Guest: Jonathan Wall, PhD Guest: Ashutosh Wechalekar, MBBS, MD Guest: Panithaya Chareonthaitawee, MD The Masterclass in Cardiac Amyloidosis: Disease Spectrum, Diagnosis and Management will consist of four virtual live sessions on March 7-9, 2025. The case-based sessions will provide an in-depth discussion of cardiac amyloidosis and its pathogenesis, diagnostic techniques and pitfalls, management strategies, mechanisms to facilitate early diagnosis, treatment and management, and challenging case studies presented by leading internationally recognized experts in transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis.

Host: Keith C. Ferdinand, MD, FACC, FAHA , FASPC, FNLA, FPCNA A concerning number of patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) reached suboptimal LDL-C levels between 2021 and 2022. Even with new strategies that can help lower LDL-C, an analysis of over 3 million ASCVD patients in the Family Heart Database shows that these treatments are not being properly utilized. Join Dr. Keith C. Ferdinand as he delves into an analysis of management trends among these patients, which he presented at the 2024 Family Heart Foundation Global Summit. Dr. Ferdinand is a Professor of Medicine and the Gerald S. Berenson Endowed Chair in Preventative Cardiology at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Host: John Russell, MD Guest: Noel Dasgupta, MD, FACC Guest: Sami Khella, MD Amyloidosis, often unrecognized, misdiagnosed, and either inappropriately treated or undertreated, is a collection of diseases caused by the misfolding of proteins that aggregate into insoluble amyloid fibrils and deposit in tissues. There are two prominent forms of amyloidosis misfolding of light chain proteins (AL amyloidosis) and transthyretin protein misfolding (ATTR amyloidosis). In this program, two experts in amyloidosis, cardiologist Dr. Noel Dasgupta and neurologist Dr. Sami Khella, will explain the pathophysiology of amyloidosis, describe the prognosis for patients, discuss timely patient screening and diagnostic testing, and provide updated treatment options.

Host: Gerald Watts, MD, PhD There is a high unmet need for patients with persistent chylomicronemia. Plozasiran (ARO-APOC3) is an investigational drug that is being evaluated for these patients. Professor Gerald Watts shares the outcomes of the PALISADE trial, in which the efficacy and safety of plozasiran was examined in patients with familial chylomicronemia syndrome.

Host: Mary Katherine Cheeley, PharmD, BCPS, CLS, FNLA Guest: Wilson Tang, MD Many different artificial sweeteners are being consumed by patients; however, this discussion will focus on research around one that has been used in the food industry for a long time, called erythritol. Interestingly, it was found that patients with cardiac problems had the highest levels of erythritol levels in their blood, which prompted further studies on this association. So to learn more about the impact of artificial sweeteners on heart disease and how we can guide patients into consuming less, join Dr. Mary Katherine Cheeley as she speaks with Dr. Wilson Tang, Professor of Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University and Co-Author of the article, titled “The Artificial Sweetener Erythritol and Cardiovascular Event Risk,” published in Nature Medicine in February 2023.

Host: Javed Butler, MD, MBA, MPH Guest: Jeffrey Wilson, MD There's a decent amount of evidence showing allergic immune responses could have connections with heart disease. But with the knowledge gaps that exist, a need for bigger cohorts is necessary to get more information and data. So to explore the link between allergic reactions from food and heart disease, Dr. Javed Butler is joined by Dr. Jeffrey Wilson, Allergist and Immunologist in the Department of Medicine's Division of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology at the University of Virginia.

Host: Javed Butler, MD, MBA, MPH Guest: Michael J. LaMonte, PhD, MPH The American Heart Association recommends physical activity to help lower the risk of heart failure, but how much exercise is needed, especially for older women, to lower that risk? According to a recent study, even just low-intensity exercise for 30 minutes is associated with a 25 percent lower risk of overall heart failure. Dive further into the findings with Dr. Javed Bulter and Dr. Michael LaMonte, a Research Professor of Epidemiology and Environmental Health at the University of Buffalo.

Host: Javed Butler, MD, MBA, MPH Guest: Chiadi Ndumele, M.D., Ph.D., M.H.S. For the first time, the American Heart Association (AHA) has identified cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome, which reflects a strong overlap between heart disease, kidney disease, and obesity. The major clinical consequence of CKM syndrome is multi-organ dysfunction with a particularly high incidence and burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD), and the result of this is premature morbidity and mortality. So as a result, recognizing CKM syndrome is the first step in earlier diagnosis and treatment. Dive into this episode with Dr. Javed Butler who's joined by Dr. Chiadi Ndumele, Associate Professor of Medicine and the Director of Obesity and Cardiometabolic Research at Johns Hopkins University.

Host: Mary Katherine Cheeley, PharmD, BCPS, CLS, FNLA Guest: Dave L. Dixon, PharmD, FACC,  FCCP, FNLA, BCPS, BCACP, CDE, CLS What would the cost-effectiveness look like if the uptake of a pharmacist-prescribing model for hypertension were to be put into practice? A new study shows that a pharmacist-prescribing method could have significant economic impact on the U.S. healthcare system. Dive in with Dr. Mary Katherine Cheeley as she speaks with Dr. Dave Dixon, Nancy L. and Ronald H. McFarlane Professor of Pharmacy at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy, to discuss the findings from the study, titled “Cost-Effectiveness of Pharmacist Prescribing for Managing Hypertension in the United States,” which was published in JAMA Network.

Host: Mary Katherine Cheeley, PharmD, BCPS, CLS, FNLA Guest: Javed Butler, MD, MBA, MPH The STEP-HFpEF study was a program of two sister trials. The study that you'll hear about today is in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and obesity patients without type 2 diabetes. Learn more about semaglutide with Dr. Mary Katherine Cheeley as she speaks with fellow ReachMD host, Dr. Javed Butler, President of Baylor Scott and White Research Institute in Dallas, Texas.

Host: Mary Katherine Cheeley, PharmD, BCPS, CLS, FNLA Guest: Steve Grinspoon, MD The risk of cardiovascular disease is twice as great among patients living with HIV, and this could partly be due to traditional risk factors, along with nontraditional risk factors. Here to discuss the results from the REPRIEVE study with Dr. Mary Katherine Cheeley is Dr. Steve Grinspoon, Co-Principal Investigator and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Host: Mary Katherine Cheeley, PharmD, BCPS, CLS, FNLA Guest: Carol Kirkpatrick, PhD, MPH, RDN, CLS, FNLA The National Lipid Association (NLA) recently published updated recommendations for lifestyle therapies to manage three common dyslipidemias in adults. To discuss this, Dr. Mary Katherine Cheeley is joined by Dr. Carol Kirkpatrick, Clinical Lipid Specialist and Clinical Scientist at Midwest Biomedical Research.

Host: Mary Katherine Cheeley, PharmD, BCPS, CLS, FNLA Guest: Steve Grinspoon, MD Many studies over the last few years have shown that the risks of cardiovascular disease have increased between 50 to 100 percent among patients with HIV. So what steps need to be taken to help reduce this risk for our patients? Here to discuss what we need to know is Dr. Mary Katherine Cheeley and Dr. Steven Grinspoon, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Chief of the Metabolism Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Host: Alan S. Brown, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA Guest: Maya S. Safarova, MD, PhD, FNLA Learn which patients with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) would benefit from this group of medication. In this episode, Dr. Alan Brown is joined by Dr. Maya Safarova, Chief Fellow in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center, to discuss the benefits of non-statin LDL lowering therapies.

Host: Mary Katherine Cheeley, PharmD, BCPS, CLS, FNLA Guest: Alan S. Brown, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA Both clinical trials for lowering Lp(a) had patients with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Join in for a further discussion on important updates presented at the 2023 National Lipid Association Meeting with Dr. Mary Katherine Cheeley and fellow ReachMD host, Dr. Alan Brown, Past President of the National Lipid Association.

Elevated lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), is the most common inherited dyslipidemia that can drive the atherosclerotic process. So at what age does Lp(a) impact a patient's life? To find out more, tune into this episode sponsored by Novartis. Sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. 6/23 278623

Guest: Santica Marcovina, PhD, ScD Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), is a unique apoB family lipoprotein that contains apo(a), which is a peculiar carbohydrate-rich protein covalently bound to an apoB lipoprotein. So are elevated Lp(a) levels a risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease? Dive into this episode, sponsored by Novartis, to find out. Sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. 6/23 278623

It's estimated that 20 percent of the world's population has elevated Lp(a) greater than 50 milligrams per deciliter. Lp(a) is an independent, genetic, and causal risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. For more insights, tune into this episode sponsored by Novartis. Sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. 6/23 278623

Host: Javed Butler, MD, MBA, MPH Guest: John W. MacArthur With many barriers standing in the way of people in the United States who need a heart transplant, fewer than 10 percent of patients actually receive this life-saving surgery according to Stanford Medicine. Therefore, surgeons are working on different techniques to increase the pool of healthy donated hearts. To speak more about this, Dr. Javed Butler is joined by Dr. John MacArthur, Assistant Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stanford School of Medicine.

Host: Javed Butler, MD, MBA, MPH Guest: Pedro A Villablanca Spinetto, MD A complex condition known as tricuspid valve regurgitation may cause concern for patients as it typically doesn't show signs or symptoms until the disease is severe. So what technologies and therapies do we have to look forward to? Join Dr. Javed Butler as he speaks with Dr. Pedro Villablanca, Structural Heart Interventional Cardiologist at Henry Ford Health.

Guest: Patricia A. Pellikka, M.D. Artificial intelligence (AI) has several applications in cardiology, such as echocardiography. Can machine learning and AI algorithms in echocardiology help clinicians better detect heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF)? Dr. Patricia A. Pellikka, Director of the Ultrasound Research Center at the Mayo Clinic, shares data from ACC.23 and explores the potential of AI in detecting HFpEF.

Guest: Paul Sorajja, MD TRILUMINATE was the first trial to take a look at the impact of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) reduction on patients, and its results may lead to significant improvements in care and quality of life. To learn more about this trial, Dr. Paul Sorajja from the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation details the key findings from this trial and explores their impact.

Guest: Ana Barac, MD, PhD The American College of Cardiology's 72nd Scientific Session & Expo featured the latest advancements in all fields of cardiovascular medicine, including cardio-oncology. To learn more, Dr. Javed Butler sits down with Dr. Ana Barac from the MedStar Washington Hospital Center to take a look at clinical data from the STOP-CA trial.

Host: Javed Butler, MD, MBA, MPH Guest: Ana Barac, MD, PhD Cardio-oncology is a novel field in cardiovascular medicine that has rapidly grown over the past few years. What kind of role does multidisciplinary care have in it? Dr. Javed Butler is joined by Dr. Ana Barac from the Inova Heart and Vascular Institute to take a look at where cardio-oncology is and where it could be headed.

Host: Marius M. Hoeper, MD A recent study explored the safety and efficacy of sotatercept on top of background pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) therapy. To learn more about this clinical data, Dr. Marius M. Hoeper, a Professor of Medicine and the Deputy Director of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Hannover Medical School in Hannover, Germany, dives into the results of this trial and explores how they may impact patients with PAH.

According to the CDC, patients with familial hypercholesterolemia or patients who show signs of coronary heart disease are at an increased chance of having heart attack, stroke, and aortic stenosis due to high levels of lipoprotein(a). So how can me manage lipoprotein(a) in our patients? To discuss this, Dr. Mary Katherine Cheeley is joined by fellow ReachMD host Dr. Alan Brown, who's also the Director of the Division of Cardiology and the Lipid Clinic at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital.

Host: Mary Katherine Cheeley, PharmD, BCPS, CLS, FNLA Guest: Kevin C. Maki, PhD, FNLA, CLS At the American College of Cardiology's 72nd Annual Scientific Session & Expo, cardiologists will gather to explore the latest advancements in the field. Joining us to share what you can expect to learn about statin intolerance at their upcoming session are Dr. Mary Katherine Cheeley and Dr. Kevin Maki.

Host: Mary Katherine Cheeley, PharmD, BCPS, CLS, FNLA Guest: Laney K. Jones, PharmD, MPH Patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) are at an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease at a young age. So what's on the horizon for using implementation science strategies in treating patients with FH? Learn more about implementation science as Dr. Mary Katherine Cheeley discusses this with Dr. Laney Jones, Associate Professor at Geisinger's Department of Genomic Health.

Host: Mary Katherine Cheeley, PharmD, BCPS, CLS, FNLA Guest: Lauren Williams, MCN,RD,LD Kids with dyslipidemia don't have much different nutritional needs than other young kids their age. However, there are a few key things to be aware of. So how can clinicians meet families where they are to improve their diet? Dive into the unique needs of youth with dyslipidemia as Dr. Mary Katherine Cheeley is joined by Lauren Williams, Class II Clinical Dietician at Cook Children's Health System.

Host: Matthew Sorrentino, MD Guest: Luke Laffin, MD Six commonly used supplements thought to improve patients' cholesterol may be doing more harm than good. So what do we need to know about these supplements? To walk us through the results of the SPORT trial, Dr. Matthew Sorrentino is joined by Dr. Luke Laffin, Co-Director of the Center for Blood Pressure Disorders at the Cleveland Clinic.

Host: Javed Butler, MD, MBA, MPH Guest: Scott Solomon, MD Dapagliflozin in heart failure with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction (DELIVER trial) is a study designed to assess the effectiveness of SGLT2 inhibitors in patients with higher left ventricular ejection fraction. To help lead the discussion on the results of this study, Dr. Javed Butler is joined by Dr. Scott Solomon, lead study author and Director of the Clinical Trials Outcomes Center and the Edward D. Frohlich Distinguished Chair at Harvard Medical School.

Host: Ajay K. Singh, MBBS, FRCP, MBA Guest: Kirsten L. Johansen, MD Anemia in chronic kidney disease (CKD) is persistently undermanaged because current treatments have been linked with an increased risk for major cardiovascular events. They are also injectable or intravenous and definitely invasive, which no doubt limits patient acceptance. Hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors (HIF-PHIs) are a novel class of small-molecule oral drugs in late-phase development and under review by the FDA that are poised to provide an alternative treatment paradigm for patients with CKD-related anemia. Physicians and other clinicians who manage patients with anemia in CKD will need to be familiar with these novel agents and the data supporting their use in appropriately selected patients.

Host: Matthew Sorrentino, MD Guest: Michael A. Solomon, MD, MBA Guest: Sean Agbor-Enoh, MD, PhD Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare, and even fatal, condition that can impair the chest and lungs. But could a new blood test help us better assess disease severity and survivability in patients with PAH? To dive deeper into this topic, Dr. Matthew Sorrentino is joined by Dr. Michael Solomon and Dr. Sean Agbor-Enoh from the National Institutes of Health.

Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP Guest: Yehuda Handelsman, MD The National Lipid Association (NLA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) recently provided recommendations to help us achieve optimal low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels in statin-intolerant patients, but what other management strategies are available? Joining Dr. Charles Turck to answer this question and to give more key insights is Dr. Yehuda Handelsman, Medical Director and Principal Investigator at the Metabolic Institute of America.

Host: John J. Russell, MD Guest: Vallerie V. Mclaughlin, MD Join Dr. John Russell as he speaks about diagnosing and treating pulmonary arterial hypertension using the latest pharmacologic and medical management strategies with Dr. Valerie McLaughlin, Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program at the University of Michigan.

Host: Hector O. Chapa, MD, FACOG Guest: Erin D. Michos, MD, MHS, FACC, FAHA, FASE Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects approximately 5 to 13 percent of women in the general population. And although previous research has shown its link to cardiovascular (CV) risk factors later in life, a new study has revealed that PCOS can increase the risk of heart complications during delivery. So what do these findings mean when it comes to caring for pregnant patients with PCOS? Find out with Dr. Hector Chapa as he's joined by lead author of the study Dr. Erin Michos, who's the Director of Women's Cardiovascular Health and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Host: Javed Butler, MD, MBA, MPH Guest: Sameed Khatana, MD, MPH As global temperatures continue to rise, experts are calling attention to the devastating effects this can have on human health. Cardiovascular mortality is especially a concern, as two recent studies from the University of Pennsylvania outlined the connection between these two health risks. To learn more about how climate change can impact our cardiovascular health, Dr. Javed Butler is joined by Dr. Sameed Khatana, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and a physician at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Host: Javed Butler, MD, MBA, MPH Guest: Alice White, PhD Guest: Christopher Chen, MD, PhD There is currently no safe way to get a close-up view of the human heart, which is exactly why a team of Boston University researchers created a device to mimic the human organ. So how does the new device called miniPUMP work, and how was it developed? To discuss this, Dr. Javed Butler is joined by Dr. Alice White and Dr. Christopher Chen from Boston University.

Host: Javed Butler, MD, MBA, MPH Guest: Tariq Ahmad, MD, MPH The Pragmatic Trial of Messaging to Providers About Treatment in Heart Failure (PROMPT-HF) was designed to test the hypothesis that tailored and targeted electronic health record alerts recommending guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) for patients with heart failure (HF) would result in greater adherence to medication use. Explore the trial's findings with Dr. Javed Butler and Dr. Tariq Ahmad, Director of the Heart Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support Program and Chief of Heart Failure at the Yale University School of Medicine.

Host: Javed Butler, MD, MBA, MPH Guest: Justin Ezekowitz, MD, MBBCh, MSc The Study of Dietary Intervention under 100 millimole in Heart Failure (SODIUM-HF) trial was designed to assess the effects of a low-sodium diet on adverse cardiovascular events. So what were the study's findings, and what do they mean for our patients with heart failure? Dr. Javed Butler is joined by Dr. Justin Ezekowitz, who shared the SODIUM-HF trial results at the 2022 American of Cardiology Annual Scientific Meeting.

Host: Javed Butler, MD, MBA, MPH Guest: John Cleland, MD Guest: Fraser Graham, MD Iron deficiency is one of the most frequent comorbidities in patients with heart failure and is estimated to present in up to 50 percent of patients. So what's the criteria for iron deficiency, and how is it currently defined in cardiology? To discuss this, Dr. Javed Butler is joined by Drs. John Cleland and Fraser Graham from the Institute of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow.