Earlier blood transfusion after major surgery – when hemoglobin was below 10 g/dL rather than beow 7 g/dl - did not affect the risk of severe complications, such as death, heart attack, need for a heart procedure, kidney failure or stroke.

Successful catheter ablation resulted in a low risk of stroke associated with atrial fibrillation (AFib), a type of irregular heart rhythm, according to an international study.

A one-month course of dual clot-preventing therapy followed by a single clot-prevention medication for the remainder of the standard 12-month regimen in adults with atrial fibrillation (AFib) who received a coronary stent was as effective as one year of continuous dual therapy for preventing stroke, heart attack and death.

Standard care, which included medication for those eligible, was better than a promising minimally invasive procedure for people with irregular heart rhythms who had high stroke and bleeding risk.

For people who have experienced a heart attack or stroke, or who are at high risk of one and need further cholesterol lowering, a new daily pill may be a more convenient yet similarly effective option to injectable therapies.

Results from the international VESALIUS-CV (TIMI 66) clinical trial found that among adults with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) or diabetes and no history of a prior heart attack or stroke, the PCSK9 inhibitor evolocumab reduced the risk of coronary heart disease death, heart attack, or ischemic stroke by 25%.

In a Phase 1, first-in-human trial, a one-time infusion of an investigational CRISPR-Cas9 therapy targeting angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3) was safe and reduced LDL cholesterol by nearly 50% and reduced triglycerides by about 55%.

In a small, short-term, Phase 2 clinical trial in adults, a first-of-its-kind medication reduced triglyceride levels in most patients by more than 60%. Called DR10624, the medication activates three different receptors linked to triglycerides: FGF21, glucagon and GLP-1 receptors.