https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us provides the latest news from American College of Cardiology Korean women with heart disease showed higher awareness and treatment of major risk factors, but lower control rates, pointing to the need for sex-specific strategies to close the gap, according to a study being presented at ACC Asia 2026 Together with KSC Spring Conference taking place in Gyeongju, South Korea, on April 17–18. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-korean-women-cvd-gaps-factor.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 05:00:06 EDT news695464733 A novel, minimally invasive method of determining whether fatty deposits in a coronary artery are restricting blood flow to a patient's heart performed similarly to the standard, more-invasive procedure in a large multicountry European randomized trial presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). The study was simultaneously published online in the New England Journal of Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-technique-blood-restriction.html Sun, 05 Apr 2026 18:30:01 EDT news694157721 In what is believed to be the first randomized placebo-controlled trial of its kind, patients with a chronic total blockage of a coronary artery who received a nonsurgical procedure to reopen the artery showed statistically significant reductions in chest pain and improvements in quality of life compared with patients who received a placebo procedure. The research was presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). The study was simultaneously published online in the JACC. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-trial-angioplasty-chest-pain-boosts.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 21:40:01 EDT news694157708 A trial testing the aldosterone blocker spironolactone in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF) did not show any significant improvement in terms of heart failure hospitalizations and cardiovascular death at 24 months, according to findings presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-significant-benefit-spironolactone-hfpef-hfmref.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 19:30:01 EDT news694157703 A novel, minimally invasive computer software-based method that uses artificial intelligence to determine whether plaques in a coronary artery are restricting blood flow to the patient's heart performed similarly to the standard, more invasive wire-based procedure, according to a large international randomized trial presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). The study was simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-invasive-method-coronary-similar-gold.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:00:02 EDT news694174750 Patients who have heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and high blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension) experienced significant improvements in blood pressure and vascular health after taking the drug sotatercept, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). The study was simultaneously published online in Circulation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-sotatercept-pulmonary-hypertension-linked-heart.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 07:10:01 EDT news694157691 In patients with a poorly functioning bioprosthetic mitral valve in the heart, a minimally invasive procedure to insert a new valve was associated with a lower rate of death or disabling stroke within one year, compared with patients who underwent standard repeat mitral valve replacement surgery, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-mitral-valve-procedure-death-disabling.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 06:35:37 EDT news694157685 For patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AFib) who had no contraindications to taking oral anticoagulants, the use of a device to close off the left atrial appendage in the heart—a small pouch where blood can pool and form dangerous clots—was comparable to standard medication therapy in reducing the combined rate of all-cause stroke, cardiovascular death, and systemic embolism at three years. Moreover, closure of this appendage was found superior to long-term oral anticoagulation for prespecified major and nonmajor nonprocedural bleeding in these patients, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-left-atrial-appendage-closure-noninferior.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 01:10:06 EDT news694094908 The investigational drug tonlamarsen—which is designed to lower blood pressure by reducing the production of angiotensinogen, a protein that turns into the hormone that regulates blood pressure—caused a significant and sustained drop in angiotensinogen but its impact on blood pressure was less clear, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-drug-results-uncontrolled-blood-pressure.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 01:00:01 EDT news694104808 Older patients with coronary artery disease scheduled for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) had comparable outcomes regardless of whether they underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) before TAVR, according to findings from the PRO-TAVI study presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-older-high-patients-safely-defer.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:10:02 EDT news694101770 Using cholesterol-lowering medications more intensively to achieve a more aggressive target for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduced the rate of major cardiovascular events by one-third among patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-aggressive-cholesterol-lowering-heart-outcomes.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 21:40:07 EDT news694094957 Black adults with high blood pressure who received dietitian counseling and home deliveries of groceries aligned with the DASH diet—meaning high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, nuts, seeds, legumes and lean proteins—had an average overall reduction in systolic blood pressure of 7 mm Hg at three months overall and a 5 mm Hg reduction compared with participants who received only basic dietary guidance and a grocery stipend, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-dash-diet-grocery-blood-pressure.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 21:40:01 EDT news694104860 Adolescent patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) who received the drug mavacamten saw a significant improvement in left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) gradient, a measure of blood flow obstruction in the heart, compared with those who received a placebo, according to a small study presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). The trial is the first to test mavacamten in patients younger than 18. This study was simultaneously published online in the New England Journal of Medicine at the time of presentation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-mavacamten-obstruction-adolescents-hypertrophic-cardiomyopathy.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 19:00:03 EDT news694103036 Among stable, relatively low-risk patients who had previously suffered a heart attack, discontinuing beta-blockers after at least one year was found to be non-inferior, or comparable, to continuing beta-blockers in terms of death, another heart attack or hospitalization for heart failure, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-beta-blockers-heart-safe-patients.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:30:01 EDT news694107362 Despite experiencing significant reductions in triglycerides, patients with triglycerides over 150 mg/dL and a high risk of atherosclerosis did not experience any significant change in the amount of non-calcified plaque in their coronary arteries after taking the triglyceride-lowering drug olezarsen, in a one-year sub-study presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-triglyceride-lowering-drug-affect-plaque.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 17:30:08 EDT news694107722 Black and Hispanic adults with high blood pressure (hypertension) who received a culturally tailored food-based intervention with dietitian coaching experienced a significant drop in blood pressure compared with those who received an equivalent amount of fresh produce without additional supports, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-culturally-tailored-food-intervention-meaningful.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 17:10:02 EDT news694107601 A new system that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to assess cardiovascular risk based on images of the eye captured during eye exams demonstrated strong correlation with a standard cardiovascular risk assessment, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). Researchers said using AI to screen for heart disease risk during routine eye exams could help more people become aware of their risk and facilitate referrals for preventative care. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-ai-eye-images-window-cardiovascular.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 16:50:01 EDT news694107241 In the first head-to-head comparison of two devices intended to protect against stroke in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), the investigational Emboliner device performed comparably to the Sentinel device, which is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The research was presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-comparison-devices-tavr-alike.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 16:40:01 EDT news694101778 The first randomized trial to test whether adding a small, temporary pump to allow the heart to rest and intentionally delaying percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), also known as coronary angioplasty, for 30 minutes to reduce heart damage compared with standard immediate PCI in patients with heart attacks at risk for a large amount of heart damage found no significant difference between the two groups, the study's primary endpoint. The research was presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-benefit-delayed-reperfusion-left-ventricular.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:30:01 EDT news694094942 Treatment management guided by the use of a noninvasive device to monitor fluid accumulation in the lungs substantially reduced hospitalizations and deaths among patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26) in New Orleans. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-treatment-noninvasive-device-lung-congestion.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 10:31:42 EDT news694085429 On the heels of one of the coldest winters in memory for large swaths of the United States, new research highlights an often overlooked cost of cold weather: months with lower temperatures see significantly greater rates of death from heart attacks, strokes and coronary artery disease than milder months. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-links-cold-weather-excess-cardiovascular.html Tue, 24 Mar 2026 15:00:03 EDT news693564544 People who reported spending six or more hours on screens outside of school or work had worse blood pressure, cholesterol, and body mass index (BMI) compared with those with more limited screen time, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-excessive-screen-health-young-adults.html Tue, 24 Mar 2026 08:00:06 EDT news693500401 Living in areas with consistently higher levels of noise from transportation is associated with a significantly higher risk of major adverse cardiac events compared with living in quieter areas, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). Researchers suggest that implementing strategies to reduce exposure to traffic noise from roads, railways, and aviation corridors may be a new target for urban planning and improving the heart health of communities. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-noise-overlooked-heart-health.html Tue, 24 Mar 2026 08:00:05 EDT news693500281 People who regularly exercised early in the morning were significantly less likely to have coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes or obesity compared with people who exercised later in the day, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session ACC.26), held in New Orleans from March 28 to 30. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-morning-workouts-cardiometabolic-fitbit.html Thu, 19 Mar 2026 08:00:04 EDT news693123589 While high alcohol intake has been associated with worse health outcomes regardless of the type of alcohol consumed, the potential impacts of low to moderate alcohol intake appear to vary by beverage type, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26), held in New Orleans from March 28 to 30. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-wine-beer-spirits-major.html Thu, 19 Mar 2026 08:00:02 EDT news693123683 Nearly 1 in 2 Americans has high blood pressure—sometimes called the "silent killer" because it harms the heart and blood vessels—but many people don't know they have it. In a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session ACC.26), held in New Orleans from March 28 to 30, researchers report that heart disease related to high blood pressure accounts for a growing proportion of deaths among women age 25–44 years, rising from 1.1 to 4.8 per 100,000 deaths among women in this age group between 1999 and 2023. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-hypertension-heart-disease-deaths-young.html Thu, 19 Mar 2026 08:00:01 EDT news693123621 People with heart disease who received a shingles vaccine had nearly half the rate of serious cardiac events a year later compared with those who did not get the vaccine, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26), held in New Orleans from March 28 to 30. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-shingles-vaccine-drastically-cardiac-events.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 08:30:01 EDT news692953381 Measures of blood vessel health derived from routine blood pressure readings may help identify adults at increased risk for dementia, according to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26), held in New Orleans from March 28 to 30. The findings from two studies that tracked patterns of arterial stiffness over time align with growing evidence that uncontrolled hypertension contributes to the development of dementia by accelerating the aging and stiffening of blood vessels. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-routine-blood-pressure-early-insights.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 08:20:03 EDT news692953322 People who consumed over nine servings of ultra-processed foods per day on average were 67% more likely to suffer a major cardiac event than people consuming about one serving of such foods per day, in a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26). The study was published simultaneously in JACC Advances. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-ultra-foods-linked-heart-problems.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 08:00:01 EDT news692950742 A traditional Chinese mind-body practice that combines slow, structured movement, deep breathing and meditative focus lowered blood pressure as effectively as brisk walking in a large randomized clinical trial published in JACC. Blood pressure reductions were seen after three months and sustained for one year. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-ancient-mind-body-proven-blood.html Wed, 18 Feb 2026 10:00:01 EST news690561436