AHA Scientific Sessions Daily News 3

WELCOME NEW AHA FELLOWS! See pages 10-11 for a list of new 2018 AHA Fellows. November 10-12 | Chicago, Illinois #AHA18 scientificsessions.org MONDAY | NOVEMBER 12, 2018 TOP PICKS from the Program Chair AND KEY EVENTS 2 INSIDE One Brave Idea gets added support see PRESIDENT , page 4 T he SGLT-2 inhibitor dapagliflozin met one primary composite end- point with a statistically significant reduction in heart failure hospitalization or cardio- vascular death versus placebo, according to results presented in a Late-Breaking Clinical Trial session Saturday. The Dapagliflozin Effect on Cardiovascular Events-TIMI 58 (DECLARE) trial showed that dapagliflozin also met the primary safety endpoint of non-inferiority for major adverse cardiovascular events. However, the other primary composite endpoint of major adverse car- diovascular events wasn’t met. DECLARE is a phase 3, double-blind, randomized, cardiovascular outcomes trial in 17,160 patients with Type 2 diabetes and multiple cardiovas- cular risk factors (n = 10,186) or established cardiovascular disease (n = 6,974). The trial evaluated the effects of 10 mg dapagliflozin (n = 8582) daily versus placebo (n = 8,578) in 33 countries with a median follow-up of 4.2 years. Stephen D. Wiviott, MD, se- nior investigator with the Throm- bolysis in Myocardial Infarction Study Group and cardiovascular medicine specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, presented the DECLARE results. Enrollment criteria included diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes and established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease including ischemic heart disease, cere- brovascular disease or periph- eral artery disease (secondary prevention subgroup) or multiple risk factors for ASCVD (primary prevention subgroup). The latter group included men age >55 and women age >60 who had at least one additional risk factor such as dyslipidemia, hypertension or current tobacco use. There were no significant differences in baseline character- istics or medication use between treatment arms, said Wiviott, who is also associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. Medications were as expected in the trial patient population and included glucose-lowering therapies and cardiovascular therapies. In the primary safety outcome analysis, dapagliflozin: • Met the prespecified endpoint for non-inferiority to placebo for MACE ( P <0.001). • Didn’t result in a lower rate of MACE (8.8%) versus placebo (9.4%) (HR 0.93; CI 0.84-1.03; P =0.17 for superiority). • Reduced cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure (4.9%) versus placebo (5.8%) (HR 0.83; CI 0.73-0.95; P =0.005 for superiority. Because both primary end- points weren’t met, Wiviott said the secondary endpoints have to Results from DECLARE trials show drug may reduce CV death or hospitalizations for HF patients with Type 2 diabetes D oes exposure to trau- matic events — such as divorce, abuse or violence — increase the risk of cardiovascular disease? What about seeing a school shooting or other trage- dy through news or so- cial media? Today, it can be argued that most people are violence survivors due to tension or anxiety they feel as a re- sult of the latest mass casualty, ac- cording to Clyde W. Yancy, MD, Scientists investigate link between violence, CVD see DECLARE , page 5 see VIOLENCE , page 6 Yancy As part of his mission to “sus- tain and accelerate the velocity of those ripples,” Benjamin encour- aged everyone to look for oppor- tunities to make a difference. “Mihi cura futuri,” he said, borrowing the Latin phrase from the motto adopted by his alma mater Hunter College in New York. “This translates to ‘the care of the future is mine.’ This phrase embodies so much of what I be- lieve. It is empowering. It carries the weight of responsibility. And it’s infused with that most pre- cious commodity for everyone in our profession — the hope that we can make a difference.” Benjamin’s Presidential Ad- dress, “The Care of the Future,” offered myriad ideas for making a difference, including mentor- ing and advocating for systemic changes. “We can make a difference — in large and small ways — when we prioritize caring for the future,” he said. As a young man, Benjamin’s then future was shaped by a unique journey that began in the South American nation of Guyana. Today, he pays homage to his great uncle James Henry Murrell for laying the founda- tion for that journey. Murrell left Guyana for schooling in the United States, earned a medical degree in Scotland and practiced in the West African nation of Ghana. He is believed to have performed the first blood trans- fusion in the region. “Although I never met Great Uncle James, he was a touch- stone throughout my childhood,” Benjamin said. “When I brought AHA president charts course forward, salutes past R ipples of change.” That’s how AHA President Ivor J. Benjamin, MD, described the past, present and future of cardiovas- cular medicine during Saturday’s Conner Presidential Address. “ 3